Alberto Cantera: Conception & Representation of the Zoroastrian Rituals

In this episode, join host Yasamin Jameh, in exploring the latest research on ancient Zoroastrian rituals contained in the Avesta.

The 24th episode of Parse is an excerpt from a talk given by Dr. Alberto Cantera on the Zoroastrian rituals contained in the Avesta, the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism. He focuses on the best-known ritual still performed by Zoroastrian communities: the long liturgy, commonly known as the Yasna. In this lecture, Cantera uses his vast knowledge and familiarity with Zoroastrian texts as the founder of the Avestan Digital Archive, an online platform for the publication of all available manuscripts containing Avestan texts, to shed light on the most recent research on Zoroastrian rituals from antiquity till modern times.  
Professor Cantera is the Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the Freie Universitat Berlin. The focus of his work is on Zoroastrian textuality from Antiquity until the modern age, especially the Avestan texts, their reception in Late Antiquity, and their use in Zoroastrian rituals. Since 2008, he has been the Director of the Avestan Digital Archive, where he has been working towards completing the monumental task of describing and understanding the history of Zoroastrian ritual practices.   
 
Link to the full talk: ⁠Conception & Representation of the Zoroastrian Rituals 20 Jan 2023⁠