ABSTRACT
THE IRANIAN conception of man underwent several currents of influence from different cultures, during which ideas borrowed from other civilizations were taken up and absorbed. The theory of man in the Sasanian period was without doubt shaped by this combination of local tradition and the impact of surrounding cultures. The picture may be even more complex than that. One should take into account, for example, not only diachronic change, but also diversity within the Iranian field itself. The Avestan heritage is rich in conception and terminology, although the meaning of many of the terms used in the Avesta is opaque. The Middle Persian tradition is strongly influenced by this heritage, but seems to reflect primarily a different strain of Iranian anthropological conceptions, with a somewhat different division of human powers. The main elements of foreign influence that should be taken into account are the Greek (largely Aristotelian) and Indian heritage, with possibly some presence of Jewish and Christian ideas.1
