Abstract
Our knowledge regarding how Mazdaist communities in Central Anatolia managed to survive, what kind of social organization they used to have and possible alterations over their beliefs after the fall of the Achaemenid Persian Empire is sadly limited. Archaeological evidence and information gleaned from historical records do not provide direct answers to the problems, but instead allow the development of some suggestions. The relationship between the possible independent local beliefs and religions that have had worship of fire at their center, and Mazdaism is another point that deserves serious attention in the search for answers. Most of the information on the subject has been taken from historical records. Historical records —and a small number of archaeological evidence— scattered across different time periods indicate, at its greatest extent, the existence of Mazdaist communities in Central Anatolia as far back as Late Antiquity. This paper aims to evaluate some historical events that occurred after the fall of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in terms of local identity and belief and to make some suggestions about the history of Mazdaist communities and the possibility of a sect of Mazdaism peculiar to Central Anatolia.
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