Media, Babylon and Persia : including a study of the Zend-Avesta or religion of Zoroaster, from the fall of Nineveh to the Persian war . ge of the Behistun in-scription of temples destroyed and rebuilt has sorelypuzzled the decipherers. For it is well known thatthe Zoroastrian religion admits of no temples, andthat its only rallying-points of worship are its dtesJi-gdlis or fire-altars, in the open air or in unpretend-ing, unadorned chapels.* That a Mazdayaznian,therefore, should take to himself credit for rebuild-ing temples seemed an unaccountable anomaly. * The Persians have had temples, bu
Media, Babylon and Persia : including a study of the Zend-Avesta or religion of Zoroaster, from the fall of Nineveh to the Persian war . ge of the Behistun in-scription of temples destroyed and rebuilt has sorelypuzzled the decipherers. For it is well known thatthe Zoroastrian religion admits of no temples, andthat its only rallying-points of worship are its dtesJi-gdlis or fire-altars, in the open air or in unpretend-ing, unadorned chapels.* That a Mazdayaznian,therefore, should take to himself credit for rebuild-ing temples seemed an unaccountable anomaly. * The Persians have had temples, but at a later period, which doesnot come within the bounds of the present work. That period maybe called that of the final decadence of pure Mazdeism. We knowof temples erected to Mithra and Anahita-Ardvi-Sura already byKing Artaxerxes, the grandson of Dareios. This was due to theinfluence of the Semitic and Canaanitic religions ; Mithra was trans-formed into a counterpart of their Baals and Molochs, and Anahitainto that of their nature goddesses—Beltis, Mylitta, Astarte, Atarga-tis, and the rest. She had a famous temple at QZ DOA?J 0 X A H A y j^ n t^ ^^ y-^ J ;4 X < ** z, 4J u < Hi T. 3 . a n ?Ji <fl 7, c c /. yi -^ .1 ^, Y) ^ •i. ?^ •< o en 368 MEDIA BABYLON, AND PERSIA. The inconsistcnc}, however, vanishes if wc assume,with JMax Duncker,* that temples not of tlic Per-sians or Medes are meant, but of the subject have seen that Kyros and, in imitation of him,his son Kambyses made it a point not only to toler-ate, but personally to honor, the religions of con-quered countries. It is very natural to suppose thatthe usurper would be uninfluenced by the dictatesof sound statecraft, and, blindly following his priestlyzeal, would neglect and even destroy these to himabominable seats and landmarks of , no less naturally, immediately resumed theliberal and conciliatory policy of his house, andmentions it in his annals as a claim on
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