Western Asian History of Religions

In the history of religion, Western Asia in its diverse historical periods has a fundamental importance. On the one hand, this region constitutes a dynamic multiethnic and multilingual field in which several cultures were always in exchange with each other, and these contacts led to the emergence of many religious ideas and some widespread religions such as Zoroastrianism, Eastern Christianity, Manichaeism and Islam. On the other hand, the region acted as a link between the Indian, Central Asian, and Chinese cultural regions on the one hand and Europe (or the cultural region that was becoming Europe) on the other. Geographically, the region we call West Asia stretches from the Hindu Kush in the northeast to the Arabian Peninsula in the southwest, and from the Sindh region in the southeast to the Black Sea in the northwest.

The History of West Asian Religions at CERES consists of two foci: Iranian and Mesopotamian religious history. The Iranian history of religion focuses on antiquity and late antiquity (12th century B.C. – 10th century A.D.) and deals with Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism and their contact with Islam in the early Islamic period. The history of religions in Mesopotamia deals primarily with the Sumerian and Akkadian cultures (4th-1st century B.C.) and studies various religious aspects of these cultures. The two concentrations are primarily philological and deal with sources in many different languages: Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Avestic, Old Persian, Middle Persian, Arabic, and New Persian.

Our courses provide our students with a basic knowledge of the religious history of this region in its various historical periods – and with a broad philologically based approach.

Director & Coordination

Photograph of Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania

Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania

Coordinator

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.10
+49 234 32-21979
kianoosh.rezania@rub.de

Current Projects

How Sasanian Science and Literature passed on to the Muslims

A Reassessment of Cultural Transfer by Translation in Late Antiquity

This project aims to challenge the paradigmatic notion “Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement.” This labeling is a byproduct of research conducted during …

Zoroastrian Middle Persian: Digital Corpus and Dictionary

The Middle Persian language played a prominent historical and cultural role in the first millennium CE as the official language …

Armenia Entangled

Reimagining Cultural Encounters and Connectivity in Medieval Eurasia 9th - 14th Century

The ERC-project Armenia Entangled deals with the entangled history of the Armenian plateau and its adjacent areas. It is based …

Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion

Integrated Research Training Group: Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion (GSMR)

The “Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion” (GSMR) is the central instrument for the promotion of early career researchers in …

Subproject A04

Metaphorizing the Metaphors: The Development of the Zoroastrian Language of Eschatology

Focusing on Zoroastrian eschatology, this project asks, to what extent the construction of religious meaning relies on the transformation of …

Subproject C02

Ancient Near Eastern Conceptions of Order between Law and Religion

Since the linguistic and conceptional proximity between law and religion in the ancient Near East is striking, this project wants …

Planned Projects

Research Associates

Photograph of PD Dr. Rosel Pientka-Hinz

PD Dr. Rosel Pientka-Hinz

Associate Professor

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 3.14
+49 234 32-21969
rosel.pientka-hinz@rub.de
Photograph of Dr. Iris Colditz

Dr. Iris Colditz

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-28272
iris.colditz@rub.de

Dr. Slavomír Čéplö

Research Associate

Universitätsstraße 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-21287
Slavomir.Ceploe@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Photograph of Neda Darabian

Neda Darabian

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.14
+49 234 32-22330
neda.darabian@rub.de
Photograph of Dr. Thomas Jügel

Dr. Thomas Jügel

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-22382
thomas.juegel@rub.de
Photograph of Floriana Marra

Floriana Marra

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.14
floriana.marra@rub.de
Photograph of Neda Mohtashami PhD

Neda Mohtashami PhD

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
neda.mohtashami@rub.de
Photograph of Seyyedehfatemeh (Raha) Musavi

Seyyedehfatemeh (Raha) Musavi

Research Associate

seyyedehfatemeh.musavi@rub.de
YS

Yusef Saadat

Research Associate

Universitätsstraße 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.14
+49234 32-21975
yusef.saadat@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Photograph of Assist. Prof. Rahman Veisi Hasar

Assist. Prof. Rahman Veisi Hasar

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.08
+49 234 32-21977
veisirahman@yahoo.com
Photograph of Dr. Mohsen Zakeri

Dr. Mohsen Zakeri

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.15
mohsen.zakeri@rub.de

PhD Candidates

Photograph of Neda Darabian

Neda Darabian

PhD Student

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.14
+49 234 32-22330
neda.darabian@rub.de
KF

Khashayar Fakhrian

PhD Student

khfmed@yahoo.com
Photograph of Floriana Marra

Floriana Marra

PhD Student

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.14
floriana.marra@rub.de

Student Assistants

NE

Narjes Eskandarnia

Research Assistant

Universitätstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
narjes_eskandarnia@yahoo.com
Photograph of Allegra Goldstraß B.A.

Allegra Goldstraß B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
allegra.goldstrass@rub.de
MG

Miriam Greshake B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
miriam.greshake@rub.de
SH

Seyyedehroqayeh (Maryam) Hasanichenar B.A.

Research Assistant

Seyedehroghayeh.Hasanichenar@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
RL

Reyhaneh Lamei B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
reyhaneh.lamei@rub.de

Associated

Photograph of Dr. Iris Colditz

Dr. Iris Colditz

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-28272
iris.colditz@rub.de

Dr. Slavomír Čéplö

Research Associate

Universitätsstraße 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-21287
Slavomir.Ceploe@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Photograph of Neda Darabian

Neda Darabian

PhD Student

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.14
+49 234 32-22330
neda.darabian@rub.de
NE

Narjes Eskandarnia

Research Assistant

Universitätstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
narjes_eskandarnia@yahoo.com
KF

Khashayar Fakhrian

PhD Student

khfmed@yahoo.com
Photograph of Allegra Goldstraß B.A.

Allegra Goldstraß B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
allegra.goldstrass@rub.de
MG

Miriam Greshake B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
miriam.greshake@rub.de
SH

Seyyedehroqayeh (Maryam) Hasanichenar B.A.

Research Assistant

Seyedehroghayeh.Hasanichenar@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Photograph of Dr. Thomas Jügel

Dr. Thomas Jügel

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
+49 234 32-22382
thomas.juegel@rub.de
RL

Reyhaneh Lamei B.A.

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.12
reyhaneh.lamei@rub.de
Photograph of Floriana Marra

Floriana Marra

PhD Student

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.14
floriana.marra@rub.de
Photograph of Neda Mohtashami PhD

Neda Mohtashami PhD

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.09
neda.mohtashami@rub.de
Photograph of Seyyedehfatemeh (Raha) Musavi

Seyyedehfatemeh (Raha) Musavi

Research Associate

seyyedehfatemeh.musavi@rub.de
Photograph of PD Dr. Rosel Pientka-Hinz

PD Dr. Rosel Pientka-Hinz

Associate Professor

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 3.14
+49 234 32-21969
rosel.pientka-hinz@rub.de
Photograph of Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania

Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania

Coordinator

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.10
+49 234 32-21979
kianoosh.rezania@rub.de
YS

Yusef Saadat

Research Associate

Universitätsstraße 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 1.14
+49234 32-21975
yusef.saadat@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Photograph of Assist. Prof. Rahman Veisi Hasar

Assist. Prof. Rahman Veisi Hasar

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.08
+49 234 32-21977
veisirahman@yahoo.com
Photograph of Dr. Mohsen Zakeri

Dr. Mohsen Zakeri

Research Associate

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.15
mohsen.zakeri@rub.de