معرفی
Andrea Piras is a Full Professor of Philology, Religions and History of Iran at the University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, and serves as an External Teacher in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. He is also a former Member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and has held visiting positions at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris and the University of Lausanne. His academic affiliations reflect a deep commitment to Iranian studies, religious history, and intercultural exchange in antiquity.
His research interests center on Iranian philology, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and the religious and cultural history of pre-Islamic and late antique Iran. He has led numerous scholarly initiatives, including directing the Laboratory of Ethnohistory of the Iranian and Caucasian Area and co-organizing international symposia on Avestan studies, Sasanian culture, and Silk Road religions. His work emphasizes textual analysis, epigraphy, and the interplay between religion, law, and ideology in ancient Iran.
The 15 most recent publications highlight a consistent focus on religious narratives, manuscript cultures, and intellectual exchanges across Central Asia and the Mediterranean. Themes include Manichaean art and texts, Zoroastrian legal traditions, the transmission of Buddhist and Christian stories into Iran, and the symbolic use of light and writing in religious contexts. His scholarship bridges philology, religious studies, and art history, often exploring cross-cultural interactions in late antiquity.
Scientific recognitions include:
- Membership at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2016)
- Audition for Directeur d'études at École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris (2015)
Piras has advised doctoral students through the PhD program in Cultural Heritage at the University of Bologna and has participated in international research projects such as the Melammu Project on Assyrian and Babylonian intellectual heritage. He has organized major academic events, including conferences on Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Silk Road religions, often in collaboration with institutions in Italy, France, and Germany. His work is supported by long-term research stays at leading centers of advanced study.
He leads the Laboratory of Ethnohistory of the Iranian and Caucasian Area at the University of Bologna, fostering interdisciplinary research on the historical and cultural dynamics of Iran and the Caucasus. His team engages with textual, archaeological, and epigraphic sources to reconstruct religious practices, legal systems, and intercultural encounters in ancient and late antique Iran.
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