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existenceoffar-reachinglegalrightsandprotectionofslaves.The
Sasanianlawprescribedapenalty(
tāwān
)fortheabuseofslavesand
workerswhethermenorwomen,themostimportantofthesebeingthe
righttopracticetheirownreligion,therighttosuethemasteragainst
crueltreatmentandtoobtaincompensation.Eventhoughslaverywas
infrequentinIran,aslavecouldreceivehisfreedomfromthemaster
throughthelegalactofmanumission.Aslavehadtherighttoappear
incourtasawitness,aplaintifforadefendantincivilsuits.Further
tothishehadthelegalrighttodisposeofhispeculiumaccording
tohisownwishes.Theexpression
tan
“body”wasnotmeantas“slave,”
butdesignatedapersonwhowasgivenforacertaintimeassecurity
foradebttothecreditorandkeptbyhimin“bondage”(notliterally
bound
orkeptinacell,butemployedasanon-paidworkerwithinthe
abovementionedprotectiveregulations)fortheperiodoftime
imposedbylaw(
Mādayān
,1079-12;Sachau1914,139;Perikhanian
1983,638;Macuch1989,764-765).
MisconceptionoftheDeificationoftheKingofKings
Anothermisconceptionwidelytootedasanelement
ofundemocraticruleinancientIranistheideaofdeificationofthe
kingofkings.Greekwriters,accordingtotheirownconventions,tried
toconveytheIraniankingofkingsasdivine:theChorusinAeschylus
(
Persae
,156)addressesAtossaasthe“wifeofagod”and“mother
ofagod”;CurtiusRufus(
HistoriaeAlexandriMagni
,VIII5.10)
insinuatesthatthePersiansworshippedtheirkingsamongthegods.
TheancientrulersofIran,contrarytoGreekclaims,werenever
deified
or
worshipedasgods
,inspiteofthefactthattheyoften
boastedthattheybecamerulerswiththe
support
or
assistance
ofAhōramazdā.Sincetheworshippingofhumanbeingswasforbidden
inancientIran(Muccioli2009,83),thecultofthekingneverexisted.
NoneofthegreatandmostreveredrulerssuchasCyrus,Darius
orotherseverclaimedtobegods.Thethreeoccasionsofsemblance
ofdeificationoccurredunderspecialcircumstances.Cambyses,while
servinghisofficialfunctionofprince-royalinEgypt,adheredtothe
localEgyptiancustomofvenerationanddeificationinorder
toconciliatetheEgyptianpopulartradition.Theevidenceofkingly
venerationoftheArsacidParthiancoinage(Dąbrowa2011,247)was
