Our guest this week is Darius Kamali, author of 2 books and the host of "The Persian Version" podcast. We discuss the historic and geographic origins of the Iranic peoples; some older customs, linguistics, and religious aspects; their enormous impact on the regions from Central Asia into Europe & Africa; but mostly how Iran emerged. Our journey visits upon Cyrus the Great; the massively influential, but mysterious, religions of Mithraism and Zoroastrianism. We engage in our usual talk of angels, afterlives, end of days, etc. We find surprising parallels including in the fictional world of Game of Thrones. Come on in and learn the difference between Arian and Aryan.
