Here is the first comprehensive book on the pre-Christian religion in Armenia. The author gives both an exhaustive survey of the ancient religion and valuable comments on the folklore, archaeology, and ancient history of this part of the world. This is a useful reference work for a wider audience as well as students and specialists on Armenia.

A key publication on the British Museum's approach to the ethical issues surrounding the inclusion of human remains in museum collections and possible solutions to the dilemmas relating to their curation, storage, access management and display.

With the increasing Muslim diaspora in post-modern Western societies, Sufism – intellectually as well as sociologically – may eventually become Islam itself due to its versatile potential. Although Sufism has always provoked considerable interest in the West, no volume has so far been written which discusses this aspect of Islam in terms of how it is practised in Western societies. Bringing together leading international authorities to survey the history of Islamic mysticism in North America and Europe, this book elaborates the ideas and institutions which organize Sufism and folk-religious practices. The chapters cover: the orders and movements their social base organization and institutionalization recruitment-patterns in new environments channels of disseminating ideas, such as ritual, charisma, and organization reasons for their popularity among certain social groups the nature of their affiliation with the countries of their origin. Providing a fascinating insight into how Sufism operates within different spheres of society, Sufism in the West is essential reading for students and academics with research interests in Islam, Islamic history and social anthropology.

What is the distinctive Zoroastrian experience, and what is the common diasporic experience? The Zoroastrian Diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. It has also involved a survey questionnaire in eight countries, yielding over 1,840 responses. This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of Diaspora groups in six continents. Little has been written about Zoroastrian communities as far apart as China, East Africa, Europe, America, and Australia or on Parsis in Mumbai post-Independence. Each chapter is based on unused original sources ranging from nineteenth century archives to contemporary newsletters. The book also includes studies of Zoroastrians on the Internet, audio-visual resources, and the modern development of Parsi novels in English. As well as studying the Zoroastrians for their own inherent importance, this book contextualizes the Zoroastrian migrations within contemporary debates on Diaspora studies. John R. Hinnells examines what it is like to be a religious Asian in Los Angeles or London, Sydney or Hong Kong. Moreover, he explores not only how experience differs from one country to another, but also the differences between cities in the same country, for example, Chicago and Houston. The survey data is used firstly to consider the distinguishing demographic features of the Zoroastrian communities in various countries; and secondly to analyse different patterns of assimilation between different groups: men and women and according to the level and type of education. Comparisons are also drawn between people from rural and urban backgrounds; and between generations in religious beliefs and practices, including the preservation of secular culture.

Preliminary Material -- Provenance -- Form, Content, and Function -- Angelology -- The Heavenly Temple -- The Qumran Context of the Sabbath Shirot -- Provenance - Notes -- Form, Content, and Function - Notes -- Angelology - Notes -- The Heavenly Temple - Notes -- The Qumran Context of the Sabbath Shirot - Notes -- 4Q400: Text and Commentary -- 4Q401: Text and Commentary -- 4Q402: Text and Commentary -- Masada Shirshabb: Text and Commentary -- 4Q403: Text and Commentary -- 4Q404: Text and Commentary -- 4Q405: Text and Commentary -- 4Q406: Text and Commentary -- 4Q407: Text and Commentary -- llQshirshabb: Text and Commentary -- Concordance -- Numeration of Manuscripts and Fragments -- Bibliography of Works Cited.