Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World

Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World Established in 2017 as the premier research center for the study of Ancient Iran

Established in 2017 as the premier research center for the study of Ancient Iran, the mission of the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World is to engage in transformative research on all aspects of ancient Iran, including its reception in the medieval and modern periods, by expanding on the traditional domains of Old Iranian studies and promoting cross-cultural and interdisciplinary scholarship. The Pourdavoud Institute intends to be a disciplinary home to stimulating intellectual encounters and exchanges for scholars working on ancient Iran and the ancient world, and will contribute to the development of collaborative research projects in such diverse areas as Assyriology, ancient History, Biblical Studies, Classics, Egyptology, Indology, Sinology, and the Study of Religion.

The Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions at UCLA is privileged to continue the publication of t...
09/23/2026

The Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions at UCLA is privileged to continue the publication of the Bulletin of the Asia Institute beginning with Volume 32.

While the publication of the Bulletin will be ascertained by the Yarshater Center, the University of California Press shall be providing the backbone for production and distribution. All print volumes, including the back catalog, will be available for purchase on the website of UC Press. Information regarding the publication of Volume 33 and beyond shall be forthcoming from both the Yarshater Center and UC Press.

Most importantly, the Yarshater Center is committed to the dissemination of all research gratis. The Bulletin shall be published simultaneously in high-quality print format and free Open Access, available to download via the websites of UC Press and the Yarshater Center. To maximize the scholarly impact of the Bulletin for generations to come, the back catalog of volumes shall also be included in an Open Access repository.

https://yarshater.ucla.edu/publications/bai/ -issues

In today's episode, Dr. James Howard-Johnston, an Emeritus Fellow at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford,...
06/18/2026

In today's episode, Dr. James Howard-Johnston, an Emeritus Fellow at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, joins Lexie to discuss his research on the Byzantine army, interests in Sasanian Iran through teaching and conferences on Roman–Persian relations, his interests in Sasanian silver coins, minting, and iconography, and he outlines the chronology and sources for Rome–Sasanian conflict.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

In this episode, Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom, a professor of Ancient History at Washington State University, returns to the po...
06/18/2026

In this episode, Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom, a professor of Ancient History at Washington State University, returns to the podcast to discuss his new book, "The Parthians at War: Combat Logistics, Reputation, and the First War with Rome," which examines Parthian militarism beyond tactics to include logistics, reputation, and interpreting Parthians through Greek and Roman sources while seeking their agency; a two-week teaching module on Parthians for world history instructors, including interactions with Rome and Han China; and offers a revisionist framing of the first Rome–Parthia war as a longer series of conflicts.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

Job Opening: Programs and Administration CoordinatorWe are seeking a Programs and Administration Coordinator to serve as...
06/11/2026

Job Opening: Programs and Administration Coordinator

We are seeking a Programs and Administration Coordinator to serve as our events lead, as well as assist with office management. (See full job description for all details.) We are a team who relies on detail-oriented people with multiple skill sets. We are looking for an employee who can organize events and facilitate the purchasing for events and general office management. Some of what this involves includes reserving lecture halls, coordinating travel with speakers, ordering catering, setup and teardown of event spaces, and managing audio/video needs. This position is hybrid, with an expectation of on-campus work a minimum of three days a week. Some evenings, early mornings, and weekend workdays (all for events) will be required.

The deadline to apply is 6/25/2026.

https://jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/10672

In today's episode, Dr. Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo, an Associate Professor of Ancient Archaeology at the State Uni...
05/21/2026

In today's episode, Dr. Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo, an Associate Professor of Ancient Archaeology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley, a fourth year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss scholarly “eu**ch phobia,” gender bias, and resistance to translating terms without explicit mention of castration as well as dehumanizing modern language; using diverse evidence and methods like critical fabulation, centering violence and trauma in eu**ch “creation”; same-sex love in Persian contexts versus Greek/Roman anxieties; and the “uncanny” in imperial art.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

In today's episode, Dr. Deirdre Klokow, an assistant professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, joins L...
03/26/2026

In today's episode, Dr. Deirdre Klokow, an assistant professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, joins Lexie to discuss Seleucid coin iconography, who used coins alongside fiscal crisis and devaluation, the limits of evidence for women’s economic activity, her research on Laodike, and her forthcoming book, The Seleucids and Their Land.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

In today's episode, Dr. Jenn Finn, an ancient historian and chair of the Department of Classics at Loyola University, jo...
02/26/2026

In today's episode, Dr. Jenn Finn, an ancient historian and chair of the Department of Classics at Loyola University, joins Lexie to discuss her research focus on Alexander the Great's military strategies and the cultural exchanges between Greeks and Persians, explore the complexities of learning ancient languages like Akkadian and Sumerian and reflections on the challenges of studying Persian history through limited source material, and offers insights into the representation of Persian history in media, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced and balanced portrayal.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

Ancient Iran and Central AsiaInteractions and Shifting IdentitiesProfessor Frantz Grenet (Collège de France)A Series of ...
02/23/2026

Ancient Iran and Central Asia

Interactions and Shifting Identities

Professor Frantz Grenet (Collège de France)

A Series of Four Lectures in March 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Royce Hall 314 and via Zoom

Watch on Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/97782495503

Wednesday, March 4, 4:00 pm PST

“A World between Worlds: Geography, History, and 
Identity of the Early Kušāns 
(First Century CE)”

Friday, March 6, 4:00 pm PST

“Kušān Rulers: In Search of an Imperial Narrative 
(Second to Fourth Centuries CE)”

Monday, March 9, 4:00 pm PDT

“Eastern Iranian Contributions to the Construction of the Šāhnāme: Kušāno-Sasanians, Sīstānīs, and Sogdians 
(Fourth to Eighth Centuries CE)”

Wednesday, March 11, 4:00 pm PDT

“Philhellenism among the Hunnic Elites 
(Fifth to Eighth Centuries CE)”

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360 Royce Hall
Los Angeles, CA
90095

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