Ma`rifat Adyan

The formation of families and the expansion of lineage have long constituted a central element of ancient Iranian culture. This cultural emphasis was especially prominent within Zoroastrian cosmology, in which humans play a pivotal role in the destruction of demons and the renewal of the world—a mission that polygamy was believed to support. Nevertheless, some contemporary Zoroastrian authors maintain that polygamy has never been permissible within the tradition. The present study aims to demonstrate the permissibility of polygamy among Iranians from antiquity to the modern era. It seeks to answer the following key questions: Does polygamy possess legitimacy in Zoroastrian religious and historical texts? And what arguments do its contemporary opponents offer to refute this legitimacy? Using a descriptive-analytical method and based on extensive library research, this study concludes that—contrary to the assertions of modern Zoroastrian writers—polygamy was historically prevalent among ancient Iranians and was never formally prohibited. The practice was sustained by several factors, including the desire to increase progeny, the forging of political alliances, and a cultural emphasis on male offspring. With the advent of modernity, opposition to polygamy first emerged among the Parsis of India, who were influenced by Western values, and this opposition was later adopted by Zoroastrians in Iran.