Ancient Iranian religion was strongly connected. Beginning in the early 10th-century BC, the ancient Iranian religion was gradually displaced by Zoroastrianism, which contains many essential aspects of its predecessor. The sources on ancient Iranian religion, though limited, consist of textual and material sources. The textual sources are both Iranian and non-Iranian. An important Iranian source is the Avesta, which are Zoroastrian sacred scriptures made in the Avestan. This is considered the principal source of knowledge on ancient Iranian religions. It is a collection of several texts that seems to have been over a large span of time by a variety of authors. These
Violence and the Sacred Sacred" has been seen as hostile to religion. Violence and the Sacred Violence and the Sacred () is a 1972 book by the French anthropologist René Girard. The book received both positive and mixed reviews. "Violence and the Sacred" was written while Girard was distinguished professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Girard was influenced by the work of Georges Bataille. Girard discusses the ritual role of sacrifice. He reevaluates Sigmund Freud's "Totem and Taboo" (1913), writing that while it has been widely rejected, he views the work differently. He notes that Freud's concept of collective murder