Mazdak

Mazdak (, , also known as Mazdak Bamdadan; died c. 524 or 528) was an Iranian mobad (priest) and social reformer who rose to prominence during the reign of the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I. He instituted a religious and social movement known as Mazdakism, which preached a dualistic cosmology and social welfare programs, including the communal ownership of property and, controversially, women (interpreted by some scholars as a reaction against the harem system).

Although initially supported by King Kavadh I to weaken the power of the nobility and clergy, Mazdak and his followers were eventually purged by Kavadh's son, Khosrow I (Anushiravan). His ideology survived in various forms, influencing later movements such as the Khurramites. == Name == The name Mazdak is derived from the Old Iranian word Mazda (as in Ahura Mazda), meaning "wise" or "wisdom". In Avestan, it is an attribute of God. The name appears in various forms in historical texts, including Mazdaku, Mazdaka, and Mazhdaq. The earliest historical attestation of a related name dates to the 8th century BC in the inscriptions of Sargon II of Assyria, referring to Median chieftains, though this predates the Sasanian figure by over a millennium.