PAGANS AND GNOSTICSas the third century.s There are references to pagan temples with idols
in the late sixth and early seventh centuries in Beth 'Arbhaye, Arzon,
Margha, Adiabene, Beth Garme, Kaskar, and Maysan.^6
The pagan cult consisted of libations and animal sacrifices to idols,
celebrations with music and dancing, and the veneration of sacred
trees. White cocks were the most typical sacrificial victims, although
accusations of human sacrifice still were made occasionally. By the
fourth century, pagans were already beginning to celebrate their fes-
tivals in secret. Such a festival was held in honor of Nabu at his altar
in a mountain village near 'Anat and included dancing, raillery, and
the playing of the lyre and drums.^7 The best descriptions of paganism
in the late Sasanian period come from the villages of the Sawad that
were being invaded by Christian monks in search of converts by the
early seventh century. There was a village of snake-worshipers in the
region between Kaskar and Niffar (Nippur) whose cult apparently
consisted of the village priest (Ar. kiihin) feeding the sacred snakes.^8
Although this sort of paganism seems to be thoroughly indigenous,
another village at 'Ayn Namir was inhabited by pagans who had been
brought" from Khurasan as captives by the Persians. These people
worshiped palms and other trees and idols in human form. Their
greatest idol was called Nahrdan and was served by priests and a chief
priest called Marzuq.9
Among pagan Arabs, the cult amounted to sacrificing animals and
occasionally humans, circling sacred objects, and venerating special
stones. The legend of 'Abd al-MasiQ tells of a red stone in the Sinjar
region which was worshiped by local Arabs because of its healing
qualities and its ability to help locate stray camels. There were sooth-
sayers (Ar. kiihins) at Hira who sacrificed to idols and, according to
Prokopios, the pagan Arabs of the town observed a sacred season
5 Berliner, Geographie, p. 10; Neubauer, Geographie, pp. 345-47; Rodkinson, Tal-
mud, XVIII, "Abuda Zara," 20.
6 Chabot, "Chastete," pp. 13, 22, 237, 244; Nau, "Ahoudemmeh," pp. 23, 89-90;
Scher, "Histoire nestorienne," 11(2), 452, 508, 631-32 .•
7 Hoffmann, Persischer Miirtyrer, p. 31.
- Scher, "Histoire nestorienne," 11(2), 5p.
9 Ibid., 11(2), 587-88. 'Ayn Namir was in the vicinity of Hira at or near Biram or
Payram on the southwest bank of the Euphrates opposite Anbar (Obermeyer, Landschaft
Babylonien, pp. 99, 23-25; Scher, "Histoire nestorienne," 11[1], 144; Trimingham,
Christianity, pp. 194-95). These people may have been resettled there in order to
populate the frontier. One of the marzbiins of Hira in the early seventh century was
called Riizbi ibn Marziiq (Scher, "Histoire nestorienne," 11[2], 546, 549).