By Emma Bridges, Edith Hall, and P. J. Rhodes Abstract: This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the purpose of the book, which is to throw the maximum possible fresh light on both the consistency of…
by Touraj Daryaee and Khodadad Rezakhani Abstract: Daryaee introduces the Achaemenid Empire’s administrative system and discusses its appeal as a comparatively non-violent Iron Age Empire when set against Assyria,…
by Touraj Daryaee Abstract: Daryaee provides a brief narrative history of the Achaemenid Empire, examining its unprecedented achievements in unifying diverse provinces and in administering these through the satrapy…
by Touraj Daryaee Abstract: This survey article accounts for the developments made in Iranian historiography in the 20th century, focusing on developments in understanding around philology, religious history,…
by Touraj Daryaee Abstract: Daryaee contends that Sasanian views of the past were not borne of historical ignorance of the Achaemenids and their achievements but rather the products of a conscious decision to turn away…
by Touraj Daryaee Abstract: Daryaee shows that Herodotus was not an infallible interpreter of foreign cultural practices by showing that his presentation of Persian court drinking practices misunderstood the centrality…
By Janett Morgan How did the Greek view of Persia and Persians change so radically in the archaic and classical Greek sources that they turned from noble warriors into peacock-loving cross-dressers with murderous…
By Elspeth R. M. Dusinberre 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…
By Vanessa B. Gorman Situated on the southwest coast of modern Turkey, Miletos stood for centuries as one of the paramount cities in the Hellenic world, a gateway between the East and West. It became especially famous…
By Amélie Kuhrt Abstract: Bringing together a wide variety of material in many different languages that exists from the substantial body of work left by this large empire, The Persian Empire presents annotated…