This book is a study of the pre-Islamic passages of Abu Hanifa Ahmad ibn
Dawud ibn Wanand Dinawari's Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal. It is
intended for scholars of Late Antiquity. Special emphasis is placed on
Dinawari's exposition of the rule of the Sasanian dynasty and questions
relating to the mysterious Khudaynama tradition which are
intimately connected with it. Beginning with a discussion of Dinawari
and his work, the book moves into a discussion of indigenous Iranian
historiography. Speculation on the sources of Kitab al-Akhbar
al-Tiwal follows, and the historiographical investigation of the
most substantial portion of Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal's notices on
the Sasanian dynasty comes next. The findings of the book are set out in
a narrative of Sasanian history at the end.
This book was written
with one main question in mind: what does Dinawari's Kitab al-Akhbar
al-Tiwal have to say about pre-Islamic Iranian history? A host of
other questions arose immediately: who was Dinawari; when did he live;
what did he do; how was his work perceived by others; where did Dinawari
get his information and how did he present it; is Dinawari's information
reliable?

Destiné aux spécialistes de l'Antiquité tardive,
ce livre étudie les passages du Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal de Abu
Hanifa Ahmad ibn Dawud ibn Wanand Dinawari qui traitent de l'époque
préislamique, et en particulier de la période sassanide (224-651 de n.
ère). La problématique principale de l'Auteur a trait aux intentions
d'écriture de Dinawari lorsqu'il écrit l'histoire iranienne
pré-islamique - ce qui entraîne d'autres interrogations: qui était
exactement Dinawari? Comment son oeuvre a-t-elle été perçue à son
époque? Où a-t-il trouvé ses informations et comment les a-t-il
présentées? Ses données sont-elles crédibles?
Après une discussion
sur Dinawari et son oeuvre, cet ouvrage aborde la question du rôle de
l'historiographie iranienne, celle des éventuelles sources du Kitab
al-Akhbar al-Tiwal et de la tradition du Khudaynama.