Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 Bce

ISBN-13: 9781107009608 / Angielski / Twarda / 2014 / 274 str.

Matthew Waters; Matt Waters

Opis

The Achaemenid Persian Empire, at its greatest territorial extent under Darius I (r. 522 486 BCE), held sway over territory stretching from the Indus River Valley to southeastern Europe and from the western Himalayas to northeast Africa. In this book, Matt Waters gives a detailed historical overview of the Achaemenid period while considering the manifold interpretive problems historians face in constructing and understanding its history. This book offers a Persian perspective even when relying on Greek textual sources and archaeological evidence. Waters situates the story of the Achaemenid Persians in the context of their predecessors in the mid-first millennium BCE and through their successors after the Macedonian conquest, constructing a compelling narrative of how the empire retained its vitality for more than two hundred years (c. 550 330 BCE) and left a massive imprint on Middle Eastern as well as Greek and European history."

Recenzje

'Ancient Persia is, in the best sense of the word, a handbook; Waters's notes, bibliographical references, and suggestions for further reading hit the right notes and the right works for beginners. … Welcome aids include a full timeline, numerous in-text figures and illustrations, as well as a detailed stemma of the Achaemenid dynasty.' London Review of Books

Spis treści

1. Introduction: tracking an empire; 2. Forerunners of the Achaemenids: the first half of the first millennium BCE; 3. Persia rising: a new empire; 4. From Cyrus to Darius I: empire in transition; 5. Darius the king; 6. Mechanics of empire; 7. Xerxes, the expander of the realm; 8. Anatomy of empire; 9. Empire at large: from the death of Xerxes to Darius II; 10. Maintaining empire: Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III; 11. Twilight of the Achaemenids; 12. Epilogue; Appendix A. Timeline; Appendix B. Chronological chart of Achaemenid Persian kings; Appendix C. Lineages (family tree) of the Achaemenid royal family; Appendix D. Further readings.