Let's Talk Religion

Mazdak & Mazdakism - Ancient Persian Communism?

April 13, 2026·38 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Who was Mazdak, and did he really preach a form of “ancient communism”? In this video, we explore Mazdakism—a radical movement in Sasanian Persia that challenged wealth, power, and social inequality over 1,500 years ago.Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recommended Reading:Boyce, Mary (2000). "Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices". Routledge; 2nd edition.Crone, Patricia (2012). “The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran: Rural Revolt and Local Zoroastrianism”. Cambridge University Press.Moazami, Mahnaz (ed.) (2016). "Zoroastrianism: A collection of Articles from the Encyclopedia Iranica". ENCYCLOPAEDIA IRANICA FOUNDATION. 2 Volumes.Rose, Jenny (2019). "Zoroastrianism: An Introduction". I.B. Tauris Introduction to Religions. Bloomsbury Academic.Yarshater, Ehsan (1983). “Mazdakism”. In “The Cambridge History of Iran”, vol. 3. Cambridge University Press.https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mazdak-crossref/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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