by Tehmina Goskar
Silver plate showing Shapur II, 4th century CE © The Trustees of the British Museum
Reviewing the assumptions made about a 4th century Sasanian silver salver in the British Museum, this podcast discusses how the material culture of the ancients, particularly that of the Middle East, has had all the life, humanity, spirit and wonder squeezed out of it through successive attempts to classify, categorise and otherwise pin down the things that are of interest simply to the anglo-Western gaze. Viewed through a Zoroastrian perspective, Tehmina Goskar, provides a more engaging, better-researched and authentic interpretation of the object.
Behram’s yasht prayer by Soli Dastur © Soli Dastur’s Family
This podcast was introduced by Benjamina Efua Dadzie, written and narrated by Tehmina Goskar, with a Behram’s yasht prayer by Soli Dastur (shown in full above). It was produced and edited by Alice Stevenson. The intro and outro music, an ensemble of Kpanlogo drum (female and male), Djembe drum, Gome drum (Frame drum), Kwadum drum (from ‘Kete’ ensemble), Twin bell (Dawuta) and Rattle (Ntorwa), was produced by Kwan Pa for 100 Histories of 100 Worlds in 1 Object.
A 100 Histories essay contribution by Sahar Tavakoli on the silver plate showing Shapur II is available here: The Empire Strikes Through: The Drawing and Redrawing of Political Maps in the British Museum. In her essay, Tavakoli explores and interrogates archival practices, particularly how the plate has been catalogued by the British Museum and what we can learn from it.
We recommend citing this podcast as follows:
[Last Name], [First Name], host. “[Title]”. 100 Histories of 100 Worlds in 1 Object (podcast). [Date created]. Accessed [date]. [URL].
100 Histories of 100 Worlds in One Object 