Mary Boyce - Wikipedia Mary Boyce From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search For the Dean of SEAS at Columbia University, see Mary Cunningham Boyce. British scholar Mary Boyce Born Nora Elisabeth Mary Boyce (1920-08-02)2 August 1920 Darjeeling, British India Died 4 April 2006(2006-04-04) (aged 85) Occupation Philologist Known for Authority on Zoroastrianism Nora Elisabeth Mary Boyce (2 August 1920 – 4 April 2006) was a British scholar of Iranian languages, and an authority on Zoroastrianism. She was Professor of Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London.[1] The Royal Asiatic Society's annual Boyce Prize for outstanding contributions to the study of religion is named after her. Contents 1 Early years 2 Academic career 3 Awards and recognition 4 Publications 4.1 Selected works 5 References 6 Notes 7 External links Early years[edit] She was born in Darjeeling where her parents were vacationing to escape the heat of the plains during the summer. Her father, William H. Boyce, was a Judge at the Calcutta high-court, then an institution of the British imperial government. Her mother Nora (née Gardiner) was a granddaughter of the historian Samuel Rawson Gardiner.[2] Boyce was educated at Wimbledon High School and then Cheltenham Ladies' College. At Newnham College, Cambridge she studied English, archaeology and anthropology, graduating with a double first.[2] Academic career[edit] In 1944, Boyce joined the faculty of the Royal Holloway College, University of London, where she taught Anglo-Saxon literature and archaeology until 1946. Simultaneously she continued her studies, this time in Persian languages,[3] under the guidance of Vladimir Minorsky at the School of Oriental and African Studies from 1945 to 1947. There she met her future mentor, Walter Bruno Henning, under whose tutelage she began to study Middle Iranian languages. In 1948, Boyce was appointed lecturer of Iranian Studies at SOAS, specialising in Manichaean, Zoroastrian Middle Persian and Parthian texts. In 1952, she was awarded a doctorate in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge. At SOAS, she was promoted to Reader (1958–1961) and subsequently awarded the University of London's professorship in Iranian Studies following Henning's transfer to the University of California at Berkeley. Boyce remained professor at SOAS until her retirement in 1982, continuing as Professor Emerita and a professorial research associate until her death in 2006. Her speciality remained the religions of speakers of Eastern Iranian languages, in particular Manichaeanism and Zoroastrianism. Awards and recognition[edit] Boyce was a recipient of the Royal Asiatic Society's Burton Medal, and of the Sykes Medal of the Royal Society of Asian Affairs. She was a member of the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society, honorary member of the American Oriental Society, member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and was the first secretary and treasurer of the Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum. She served on the editorial board of numerous academic publications, including Asia Major, the Encyclopaedia Iranica, the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Journal of the American Oriental Society. Publications[edit] In 1963–64, Boyce spent a research year among orthodox Zoroastrians of the 24 villages of Yazd, Iran. The results of her research there were formative to her understanding of Zoroastrianism and she discovered that much of the previously established scholarship on the ancient faith was terribly misguided. In 1975, Boyce presented the results of her research at her Ratanbai Katrak lecture series at Oxford University. In the same year she published the first volume of her magnum opus, The History of Zoroastrianism, which appeared in the monograph series Handbuch der Orientalistik (Leiden:Brill). Her Ratanbai Katrak lecture series were published in 1977 as A Persian Stronghold of Zoroastrianism. In 1979, Boyce published Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, which not only summarised her previous publications (in particular volume 1 of History), but anthologised the role of Zoroastrianism during subsequent eras as well. This was followed by volume 2 of History of Zoroastrianism in 1982 (also as a part of the Orientalistik monograph series), and volume 3 in 1991 which she co-authored with Frantz Grenet. In 1992, she published Zoroastrianism: Its Antiquity and Constant Vigour as part of the Columbia Lectures on Iranian Studies which she had delivered there in 1985. Selected works[edit] 1954, The Manichaean hymn-cycles in Parthian (London Oriental Series, Vol. 3). London: Oxford University Press. 1975, A History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. 1 (Handbuch der Orientalistik Series). Leiden: Brill; Repr. 1996 as A History of Zoroastrianism: Vol 1, The Early Period. 1977, Zoroastrianism: The rediscovery of missing chapters in man's religious history (Teaching aids for the study of Inner Asia). Asian Studies Research Institute: Indiana University Press. 1977, A Persian Stronghold of Zoroastrianism. London: Oxford University Press; Repr. 2001 1978, A Reader in Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Acta Iranica Monograph Series). Leiden: Brill. 1979, Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (Library of religious beliefs and practices). London:Routledge/Kegan Paul; Corrected repr. 1984; repr. with new foreword 2001. 1982, A History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. 2 (Handbuch der Orientalistik Series). Leiden: Brill. Repr. 1996 as "A History of Zoroastrianism: Vol 2, Under the Achaemenians". 1984, Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism (Textual Sources for the Study of Religion). London:Rowman & Littlefield. Repr. 1990 1987, Zoroastrianism: A Shadowy but Powerful Presence in the Judaeo-Christian World. Friends of Dr. Williams: London. 1988, "The religion of Cyrus the Great", in A. Kuhrt and H. Sancisi-Weerdenburg Achaemenid History III: Method and Theory, Leiden: Brill. 1991, A History of Zoroastrianism: Vol. 3, Zoroastrianism Under Macedonian and Roman Rule (Handbuch der Orientalistik Series). With Frantz Grenet, Leiden: Brill. 1992, Zoroastrianism: Its Antiquity and Constant Vigour (Columbia Lectures on Iranian Studies, No 7). Costa Mesa: Mazda. Forthcoming: A History of Zoroastrianism: Vols 4–7, under the editorship of Albert de Jong. References[edit] ^ Hinnells, John (2010). "BOYCE, MARY". Encyclopaedia Iranica.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) ^ a b John R. Hinnells, ‘Boyce, (Nora Elisabeth) Mary (1920–2006)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 2010; online edn, Sept 2012 accessed 8 Jan 2017 ^ John Hinnells, Mary Boyce, The Guardian, 11 April 2006 Obituary, Retrieved 8 January 2017 Notes[edit] A. D. H. Bivar, Professor Mary Boyce, The Times, 13 April 2006 [1] Albert de Jong, Professor Mary Boyce, The Independent, 28 April 2006 [2] Almut Hintze, Professor Mary Boyce, Daily Telegraph, 28 April 2006 [3] Parsi, Touradj (7 April 2006), "Remembering Mary Boyce", The Iranian International Committee: Mary Boyce, Encyclopædia Iranica. Works by or about Mary Boyce in libraries (WorldCat catalog) External links[edit] Mary Boyce article at Encyclopædia Iranica v t e Zoroastrianism Date Zoroaster Vishtaspa Firooz Bahram High School Concepts Ahura Mazda Yazata Ahriman Amesha Spenta Saoshyant Zurvanism Asha Haoma Magi Anahita Fravashi Chinvat Bridge Frashokereti Mobad Vohu Manah Spenta Armaiti Haurvatat Mordad Atash Behram The forces of evil Ahriman Demon Apaosha Jahi Aka Manah Indra Important people Vishtaspa Kartir Paul the Persian Adurbad-i Mahraspand Babak Khorramdin Farhang Mehr Jamasp Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla Mazdak Book of Arda Viraf Zartosht Bahram-e Pazhdo Mazyar Ardashir I Shapur II Khosrow I Keikhosrow Shahrokh Maneckji Limji Hataria Zubin Mehta Jamsetji Tata Meher Baba Jahangir Oshidri Rostam Giv Farangis Yeganegi Sacred mirrors and places Zoroastrian festivals Xwedodah Gahambars Navjote Barsom Kushti Trial by ordeal Zoroastrian calendar Ka'ba-ye Zartosht Fire temple Ossuary Tower of Silence Chak Chak, Yazd Khordad Sal Zartosht No-Diso Nava Vihara Adur Burzen-Mihr Adur Gushnasp Zoroastrian music Fire Temple of Yazd Cypress of Kashmar Atashgah castle Religious writings Avesta Gathas Yasna Haptanghaiti Khordeh Avesta Bundahishn Denkard Shāyest nē Shāyest Zend Pazend Menog-i Khrad Book of Arda Viraf Dadestan-i Denig Yasht Middle Persian literature Dabestan-e Mazaheb Avesta scholars Ebrahim Pourdavoud Mary Boyce Karl Friedrich Geldner James Darmesteter Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla Friedrich von Spiegel Émile Benveniste Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron Friedrich Heinrich Hugo Windischmann Charles-Joseph de Harlez de Deulin Martin Haug Gherardo Gnoli Mythical places Vourukasha Mazandaran Alborz Daitya Airyanem Vaejah Azerbaijan Sistan Hamun Lake Nishapur Mount Damavand Chak Chak, Yazd Kashmar Personalities Kay Lohrasp Vishtaspa Jamasp Mashya and Mashyana Arash Tahmuras Hushang Jamshid Esfandiyār Peshotanu Arjasp Abtin Zoroastrian communities Zoroastrianism in Armenia Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan Zoroastrianism in India Irani Parsis Zoroastrianism in Iran Zoroastrianism in Iraq Zoroastrianism in Pakistan Zoroastrianism in the United States Related animals Simurgh Dragon Chamrosh Also See: Category:Zoroastrianism Authority control BNF: cb12052837h (data) CANTIC: a11426858 GND: 118514113 ISNI: 0000 0001 1441 9601 LCCN: n50043127 LNB: 000108000 NDL: 00434079 NKC: jx20091030002 NLK: KAC201105554 NLP: A11715480 NTA: 071303960 PLWABN: 9810616900305606 SUDOC: 028758331 Trove: 795177 VcBA: 495/124989 VIAF: 36937488 WorldCat Identities: lccn-n50043127 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Boyce&oldid=999753987" Categories: Iranologists British historians of religion British women academics Linguists from the United Kingdom Women linguists 1920 births 2006 deaths People from Darjeeling Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Alumni of SOAS University of London Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London Academics of SOAS University of London Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society People educated at Wimbledon High School British women historians 20th-century British historians Zoroastrian studies scholars 20th-century British women writers 20th-century translators 20th-century linguists Hidden categories: CS1 maint: ref=harv Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata EngvarB from August 2014 Use dmy dates from August 2014 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with LNB identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Wikipedia articles with NKC identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLK identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLP identifiers Wikipedia articles with NTA identifiers Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers Wikipedia articles with VcBA identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages العربية Azərbaycanca Deutsch Ελληνικά فارسی Հայերեն مصرى 日本語 Norsk bokmål Русский Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 11 January 2021, at 20:07 (UTC). 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