Dating systems in Safavid historiography

In order to arrange the events, historians have used common chronological ordering systems to give them temporal dimension and date them. Dating patterns of the events and the motivations behind them are the focus of the present study. The present study is aimed at dating The Safavid Dynasty in which the ordering systems of the events are divided into two main categories of thematic and chronologic. The researchers look for the changes that have occurred within the dating methods of this period. From this perspective, the thematic dates do not present any changes. Therefore, the chronologic dating which is itself divided into three sub-categories (periodic, cyclic and sitting) will be the focus of the present work. By analyzing the dating methods, it will be shown (or can be affirmed) that there is a significant relation between the chronological dating methods and the status of the king within the mental system of the Safavid society. As the amount of the created histories in this period is to some extent dependent upon this fact; meaning that the in line with the king’s absolute power, the number of and even the need for dating is decreased and instead, works containing the praise of kingdom is increased. For this purpose, firstly the principles which the Safavid historians have chosen for ordering the events are considered. Then, the main chronological dating methods and their historic distribution in this period are introduced.