Dynastic Sanctuaries

Abstract

Chapter 11 argues that the post-Seleucid dynasties appropriated the Seleucid traditions of dynastic cult and dynastic eras as a new Iranian royal tradition. Shifting over the centuries with the rise of new empires and cultural and regional influences, such sanctuaries nevertheless played a central role in defining these dynasties’ royal identity and consolidating their hold over provincial or even transregional Iranian legacies.