Abstract
Great epics have a special thematic and linguistic structure indicative of their common features. Since time and place in epics and their numerous narratives vary greatly across different ...
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Great epics have a special thematic and linguistic structure indicative of their common features. Since time and place in epics and their numerous narratives vary greatly across different generations until they are finally formalized, they gradually lose their obvious and objective identity and hence the space –time ambiguity. Accordingly, in Firdawsī's Shāhnāmah, a high ranking epic in world literature, the aforementioned question of time and space holds sway. Many an epicologist has highlighted space-time ambiguity but none has ever explained the causes behind this ambiguity brought about by the transgenerational oral tradition of narration. This article makes a thorough investigation into the causes of location ambiguity in Shāhnāmah, a comprehensive analysis of historical and geographical clues and an explication of Shāhnāmah'scontent, hoping thereby to contribute unprecedented materials to Shāhnāmah Studies and open new perspectives in this arena.
Keywords: Epic, Shāhnāmah, Location Ambiguity, Time Ambiguity.
