This volume contains the proceedings of the international seminar dedicated to the scholarly contribution offered by Dr. Ilya Gershevitch (Cambridge University, England) to the development of Iranian Studies and held in Ravenna, 11th April 2003, on the second anniversary of his sudden death. Most of the papers published here belong to scholars being direct pupils, colleagues and friends of the late Dr. Ilya Gershevitch. The variety and complexity of the subjects represented in this volume actually reflect his most significant scientific interests and the wide and extraordinary competence of this great protagonist of Ancient, Middle and Modern Iranian studies.