ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys the history of the study of Zoroastrianism, from its early beginnings to the present. The study of Zoroastrianism has a long and impressive history. That is surprising, because the field was never truly institutionalised. This has meant that scholars drawn to the subject always came from somewhere else, bringing disciplinary and philological expertise in Classics, Indology, archaeology, historical linguistics, study of religion, Persian studies, etc., with them to this field. The combination of weak institutionalisation with highly diverse disciplinary training has often been good for the subject, but it has also meant that the field was very vulnerable to the development of idiosyncrasies, feuding, and periods of abandonment or stagnation. This, in turn, may explain the otherwise puzzling fact that scholars working in neighbouring fields frequently eschew serious engagement with Zoroastrianism.
