Mazdakism

Mazdakism was an Iranian religion, which was an offshoot of Zoroastrianism. The religion has been called one of the most noteworthy examples of premodern communism.[1]

The religion was founded in the early Sasanian Empire by Zardusht, a Zoroastrian mobad who was a contemporary of Mani (d. 274).[2] However, it is named after its most prominent advocate, Mazdak, who was a powerful and controversial figure during the reign of Emperor Kavad I (r. 498–531).[3]

References

1. Crone 2012, p. 439.
2. Crone 2012, p. 22.
3. Daryaee 2014, pp. 26-29.

Sources

• Daryaee, Touraj (2014). Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–240. ISBN 0857716662.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Boyce, Mary (2001). Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Psychology Press. pp. 1–252. ISBN 9780415239028.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Frye, R. N. (1983), "Chapter 4", The political history of Iran under the Sasanians, The Cambridge History of Iran, 3, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-20092-9CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Frye, Richard Nelson (1984). The History of Ancient Iran. C.H.Beck. pp. 1–411. ISBN 9783406093975.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Crone, Patricia (2012). The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran: Rural Revolt and Local Zoroastrianism. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–543. ISBN 9781139510769.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)