Enrico G. Raffaelli

Associate Professor of History of Zoroastrianism
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, 4 Bancroft Avenue, Room 328, Toronto, ON, M5S 1C1
416-946-3417
enrico.raffaelli@utoronto.ca

Campus

  • Downtown Toronto (St. George)
  • Mississauga (UTM)

Fields of Study

  • Persian Studies

Areas of Interest

  • History of religions
  • History of Zoroastrianism
  • Iranian philology
  • History of Astrology

Biography

Enrico G. Raffaelli did his undergraduate studies at the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” specializing in Iranian studies, with a focus on Zoroastrianism and the languages of pre-Islamic Iran. He did his PhD studies in conjunction between the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and the École Pratique des Hautes Études of Paris. 
His main areas of research include astrology in pre-Islamic Iran and Avestan and Middle Persian literature.

His first book, L’oroscopo del mondo “The Horoscope of the World” (2001), deals with astrology in Zoroastrianism, its relation with Mesopotamian, Classical and Indian astrology, and its influence on Islamic astrology. His second book, The Sih-rozag in Zoroastrianism (2014), is focused on the Avestan and Pahlavi versions of the Sih-rozag, a text worshipping Zoroastrian divine entities. 

Education

PhD, L’Orientale University, Naples, and École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris

Publications