Iran as an origin: On Mahmoud Human’s controversial theses about the beginning moments of Iran’s history

Mahmoud Houman is one of the most important Iranian intellectuals in contemporary Iran. His prominence does not only lie in the diversity of the scientific fields he has approached, or the unique works he has left behind in these research areas, or the relevance of his research questions, or his critical view toward his research subjects, but also in his unique radical theses about the early period of Iran’s history. He has three theses: the first one is about the Iranian foundation of Mesopotamian civilization, the second is about the origins and roots of Aryans in Iran, and the last one is about the age and continuity of pre-Achaemenid Iranian history. What gives these three theses an internal coherence, is the basic idea that Iran is not just an old civilization like the others, but it is also one of the highly creative origins of world civilization. The present article deals with these three theses by Mahmoud Houman and the arguments that substantiate them.

Iran as an origin: On Mahmoud Human’s controversial theses about the beginning moments of Iran’s history Keywords:

Mahmoud Houman , Alte Geschichte des Iran , Susa , Mesopotamien , Sumer , Kengi , Guti , Kassiten , Hethiter , Arier