Maguses, Their Religion and Ethnicity (Median or Persian, Zoroaster or Anti-Zoroaster)?
Abstract
Like many other issues of Iran history, the issue of the Maguses has also been distorted. The distortion which is rooted in the deviation of historical truths caused by the ruling system of the Achaemenid Empire is also sealed as the science of history by the father of the historians. The presentation of any views on the religious struggle of the early years of the Achaemenids Empire hinges on revealing the discussion on Maguses, their nationality and religion which we will try to explain in the following. Our theory is that Maguses are not Median, but the Persians priests, or at least the free priests who, like the Islamic priests, professed and preached Zoroastrian religion. Moreover, the Maguses were not the enemy of Zoroaster but, they are the true masters of Zoroaster and Zoroaster was the Magus.