Old Iran societies' religious belief systems

Religion can be defined as a way for individuals to find themselves and their inner world in many aspects. In the earliest periods when religious formations began to emerge, natural elements such as mountains, trees, soil, and wind -factors that affected people's lives- were regarded as gods. Later, as people began to assign roles among these gods, polytheistic belief systems developed. However, this view was rejected by some thinkers and reformists, leading to attempts toward monotheism. While monotheism is mostly seen in Abrahamic religions, Zoroaster and Mani were historical figures who introduced this concept among ancient Iranian societies. Mithra was already worshipped as a divine being in the Iranian region before these developments. This study primarily focuses on the emergence of the Zoroastrian, Manichaean, and Mithraic religions, which were accepted among ancient Iranian societies. The thesis consists of an introduction and four main chapters. The first chapter provides information about the Elamite, Median, Persian, and Parthian kingdoms that ruled in ancient Iran. The second chapter discusses Zoroaster and the Zoroastrian religion in detail, including its religious practices. The third chapter examines Mani, the formation of Manichaeism, and its missionary activities. The final chapter covers the Mithraic religion, which predates Zoroastrianism and regarded Mithra as a divine figure. The study focuses only on the belief systems within the geographical boundaries of ancient Iran and does not cover their practices in other regions. Keywords: Religion, Elam, Ancient Iranian Geography, Mani, Medes, Mithra, Parthians, Persians, Zoroaster.