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Ancient Iran might have been a conglomeration of people from Iran_N, South Asia, Mesopotamia/Levant and BMAC until Steppe pastoralists groups took over BMAC after 1800BC (https://indo-european.eu/2018/07/bma...-central-asia/). The Presence of South Asian Y-dna H-Z2772, L1, L2 etc... in Shahr-e-Sokhte indicates South asian were thriving there prior to the arrival of Steppe pastoralists through BMAC. In addition cult of Zahhák which probably indicates Mesopotamians ruling parts of Iran with South Asians and EBA groups working for them forming a beneficial trade networks. The presence of Snake man in Elam and cult of snake man Zahhak and the seals of IVC of Pashupati like early god who later sports Snake shows there was cross exchange of ideas.
In the early parts of Shahnameh (book of kings), for example, we witness the prolonged reign of Zahhák and at the end again we witness the victory of Mesopotamians over Iranians (as another instance of prevalence of evil), which is consistent with the grim future that Rustam predicts for Iranians.
Zahhák sat on the throne a thousand years
Obeyed by all the world. Through that long time
The customs of the wise were out of vogue,
The lusts of madmen flourished everywhere,
All virtue was despised, black art esteemed,
Right lost to sight, disaster manifest;
While diva accomplished their fell purposes
And no man spoke of good unless by stealth…
Later new hero Farídún, probably indicating metal age Steppe invaders practicing Zurvanite or Zoroastrianism, successfully defeating ancient Iran ruler and taking over kingdom is written in Shahnameh.
Zahhāk or Zahāk (pronounced [zćhɒːk]) (Persian: ضحّاک) is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka (Persian: اژی دهاک), the name by which he also appears in the texts of the Avesta. In Middle Persian he is called Dahāg (Persian: دهاگ) or Bēvar Asp (Persian: بیور اسپ) the latter meaning “he who has 10,000 horses”. In Zoroastrianism, Zahhak (going under the name Aži Dahāka) is considered the son of Angra Mainyu, the foe of Ahura Mazda. In the Shāhnāmah of Ferdowsi, Zahhāk is the son of a ruler named Merdās.
Etymology and derived words
Aži (nominative ažiš) is the Avestan word for “serpent” or “dragon.” It is cognate to the Vedic Sanskrit word ahi, “snake,” and without a sinister implication.
The original meaning of dahāka is uncertain. Among the meanings suggested are “stinging” (source uncertain), “burning” (cf. Sanskrit dahana), “man” or “manlike” (cf. Khotanese daha), “huge” or “foreign” (cf. the Dahae people and the Vedic dasas). In Persian mythology, Dahāka is treated as a proper noun, and is the source of the Ḍaḥḥāk (Zahhāk) of the Shāhnāme.
The Avestan term Aži Dahāka and the Middle Persian azdahāg are the source of the Middle Persian Manichaean demon of greed Az, Old Armenian mythological figure Aždahak, modern Persian aždehâ / aždahâ and Tajik Persian azhdahâ and Urdu Azhdahā (اژدها) as well as the Kurdish ejdîha (ئەژدیها) which usually mean “dragon”.
Despite the negative aspect of Aži Dahāka in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of Iranian peoples.
https://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/insi.../synopsis.html
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