Photo of Richard Payne
Richard Payne Office: William Rainey Harper Memorial Library, East Tower, room 481 Mailbox 82 Phone: (773) 834-9897 Email Interests:

The Middle East in Late Antiquity; Premodern Global History; Comparative Empires

Associate Professor of History, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, ISAC, and the College

Princeton University, PhD '09

BIOGRAPHY

A historian of the Iranian world in late antiquity, ca. 200–800 CE, Payne's research focuses primarily on the dynamics of Iranian imperialism, specifically how the Iranian (or Sasanian) Empire successfully integrated socially, culturally, and geographically disparate populations from Arabia to Afghanistan into enduring political networks and institutions.

His recent book, A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity, explores the problem of religious diversity within the empire, showing how Syriac-writing Christians could create a place for themselves in a political culture not of their own making. He is currently at work on the role of Zoroastrian religious institutions and the intersection of ideological and material dimensions in Iranian history.

Recent Research / Recent Publications

News

Awards for A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity (California, 2015):

  • World Award for Book of the Year, Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, American Philosophical Society
  • Ehsan Yarshater Prize, International Society for Iranian Studies
  • Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, American Academy of Religion

Named a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in 2013.