HIST 4480 - 5480 - Ancient near East History - Dise

This book contains papers representing the results of the latest research into the relationship between the 'imperial' culture of the Achaemenids and local traditions. Some of them are devoted to the Southern Caucasus, especially to latest archaeological excavations and to investigations into specific categories of archaeological finds. Other articles concern other regions of the Achaemenid world. The article by L. Summerer represents a publication of a unique work of art: the painting on one of the walls of a wooden tomb in Tatarli in Western Anatolia, depicting a battle between Persians and warriors of nomadic (Scythian-Saka) appearance. The article by S. Sajjadi presents readers with the results of interesting research, which has been going on in Sistan.

The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550-330 BCE) was a vast and complex sociopolitical structure that encompassed much of modern-day Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan and included two dozen distinct peoples who spoke different languages, worshipped different deities, lived in different environments and had widely differing social customs. This book offers a radical new approach to understanding the Achaemenid Persian Empire and imperialism more generally. Through a wide array of textual, visual and archaeological material, Elspeth R. M. Dusinberre shows how the rulers of the Empire constructed a system flexible enough to provide for the needs of different peoples within the confines of a single imperial authority and highlights the variability in response. This book examines the dynamic tensions between authority and autonomy across the Empire, providing a valuable new way of considering imperial structure and development.

pt. 1. The empire-builders : from Cyrus to Darius -- pt. 2. The great king -- pt. 3. Territories, populations, and the dependent economy -- pt. 4. From Xerxes to Darius III : an empire in turmoil -- pt. 5. The fourth century and the empire of Darius III in the Achaemenid Longue Durée : a prospective assessment -- pt. 6. The fall of an empire

Chapter 15 - The Medes and Babylonians, Chapter 16 - The Creation of World Empire - Persia, Chapter 17 - Governing a World Empire - Persia.

In recent years, Iran has gained attention mostly for negative reasons--its authoritarian religious government, disputed nuclear program, and controversial role in the Middle East--but there is much more to the story of this ancient land than can be gleaned from the news. This authoritative and comprehensive history of Iran, written by Homa Katouzian, an acclaimed expert, covers the entire history of the area from the ancient Persian Empire to today's Iranian state. Writing from an Iranian rather than a European perspective, Katouzian integrates the significant cultural and literary history of Iran with its political and social history. Some of the greatest poets of human history wrote in Persian--among them Rumi, Omar Khayyam, and Saadi--and Katouzian discusses and occasionally quotes their work. In his thoughtful analysis of Iranian society, Katouzian argues that the absolute and arbitrary power traditionally enjoyed by Persian/Iranian rulers has resulted in an unstable society where fear and short-term thinking dominate. A magisterial history, this book also serves as an excellent background to the role of Iran in the contemporary world.

The first full-scale account of a Persian king vilified by history Xerxes, Great King of the Persian Empire from 486-465 B.C., has gone down in history as an angry tyrant full of insane ambition. The stand of Leonidas and the 300 against his army at Thermopylae is a byword for courage, while the failure of Xerxes' expedition has overshadowed all the other achievements of his twenty-two-year reign.   In this lively and comprehensive new biography, Richard Stoneman shows how Xerxes, despite sympathetic treatment by the contemporary Greek writers Aeschylus and Herodotus, had his reputation destroyed by later Greek writers and by the propaganda of Alexander the Great. Stoneman draws on the latest research in Achaemenid studies and archaeology to present the ruler from the Persian perspective. This illuminating volume does not whitewash Xerxes' failings but sets against them such triumphs as the architectural splendor of Persepolis and a consideration of Xerxes' religious commitments. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of a man who ruled a vast and multicultural empire which the Greek communities of the West saw as the antithesis of their own values.

This second edition to the art, archaeology and history of Ancient Persia, includes new discoveries and ideas and corrects errors from the first edition. This concise introduction to the subject continues to form a guide to the collection of the British Museum whilst also commenting extensively on the Ancient Persian communities from 6000BC to the 7th century AD.

Metalsmiths and migrants -- Mannai, Medes and Scythians -- Builders of empire -- The great kings -- Palaces and archives -- Achaemenid arts -- From the satrapies -- The later history -- The pulse of power -- The Achaemenid family to Xerxes.

Traces the history of the Achaemenid Empire and discusses the unusual diplomacy, propaganda, and philosophy of the great kings Cyaxares, Cyrus, and Darius, who retained the best features of the culture of every conquered land and allowed the captive peoples a degree of freedom.

Traces the history of the Persian Empire and examines the development of its religious beliefs, armed forces, art, and architecture.

Beginning in the sixth century BCE, Persian kings ruled a vast, culturally diverse empire that stretched from northern Libya to central Asia. The regime and its rich multicultural traditions prospered for 250 years until its invasion, and eventual defeat, by Alexander the Great's army in 331 BCE. Yet until the British Museum's exhibition in the summer of 2005, the Persian perspective of this landmark event in world history will have been largely neglected. In one of the few accounts available, The Persian Empire provides a comprehensive and accessible portrayal of one of the world's first land-based dynastic kingdom.

This book, now re-issued with a new introduction by Mary Boyce, is the first attempt to trace the continuous history of the faith from the time it was preached by Zoroaster down to the present day-a span of about 3,500 years. First taught among nomads on the Asian steppes, Zoroastrianism became the state religion of the three great Iranian empires. With the conquest of Iran by the Muslim Arabs, Zoroastrianism lost its secular power but continues to survive as a minority faith.

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