Ancient Persia In Western History

Ancient Persia in Western History is a measured rejoinder to the dominant narrative that considers the Graeco-Persian Wars to be merely the first round of an oft-repeated battle between the despotic 'East' and the broadly enlightened 'West'. Sasan Samiei analyses the historiography which has skewed our understanding of this crucial era - contrasting the work of Edward Gibbon and Goethe, which venerated Classicism and Hellenistic history, with later writers such as John Linton Myres. Finally, Samiei explores the cross-cultural encounters which constituted the Achaemenid period itself, and repositions it as essential to the history of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Ancient Persia in Western History is a measured rejoinder to the dominant narrative that considers the Graeco-Persian Wars to be merely the first round of an oft-repeated battle between the despotic 'East' and the broadly enlightened 'West'. Sasan Samiei analyses the historiography which has skewed our understanding of this crucial era - contrasting the work of Edward Gibbon and Goethe, which venerated Classicism and Hellenistic history, with later writers such as John Linton Myres. Finally, Samiei explores the cross-cultural encounters which constituted the Achaemenid period itself, and repositions it as essential to the history of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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.

Of all the great civilizations of the ancient world, that of Persia is one of the least understood. Josef Wiesehfer, one of the most respected scholars of the ancient world, provides here a comprehensive survey of the Persian Empire under Achaeminids, the Parthians and the Sassanians. By focusing on the primary Persian sources--written, archaeological and numismatic evidence from Persia--he avoids the traditional Western approach which has tended to rely so heavily on inaccurate and sometimes prejudiced Greek and Roman sources. Part of the freshness of this book comes from presenting a historical discussion of Persia from a Near Eastern perspective. A comprehensive social, political and cultural history of ancient Persia, Wiesehfer's book provides important new material for specialists while being fully accessible and appealing to general readers interested in the ancient world.

Out of a lifetime of study of the ancient Near East, Professor Olmstead has gathered previously unknown material into the story of the life, times, and thought of the Persians, told for the first time from the Persian rather than the traditional Greek point of view. "The fullest and most reliable presentation of the history of the Persian Empire in existence."—M. Rostovtzeff

Beloved Reader, Pictorial History of IRAN, Ancient Persia is about one of the oldest nations and civilizations in the world. I hope the information provided in this book will give you better insight into Persian culture and history, which has survived through the centuries and has withstood the test of time. As a focal point of the crossroad between East and West, the Persian Empire had a tremendous relevance in the development of human culture. Persians dedicated their lives to the cultivation of ideas, cultural exchange, and human development. Like Iran's night sky, the ancient history of Iran is full of shining stars. Large cities in Elam, Hamadan, Pasargardae, and Persepolis were established. The union of Medes and Persians laid the foundation for the Achaemenian Empire, which organized, administered, and governed with justice and order the great Persian nation from the Jaxates river (Sir Darya) to Nile, Asia Minor to Persian Gulf, and east as far as the Hindu river. This great nation enjoyed prosperity, vast communication systems, practice of humanitarian equality, and a well-balanced system of government. Cyrus the Great issued the first declaration of Human Rights, after capturing the Babylonian Empire and freeing the Jews held in captivity there and allowing them to return to Jerusalem. The Persian Empire reached one of its pinnacles during the Mesopotamia era. With the profound influence of Zoroastrian convictions, with "pure thought," "good deeds" and "noble words," the Persian Empire flourished throughout Asia Minork Lydia, all the way to Greece. Up to this point in history, there were no significant scientific and cultural achievements in Greece. Many inscriptions found in Persepolis prove that the Persian Empire was the key in cultivation and spread of civilization, as we know it today. The Persian civilization and the first declaration of human rights by Cyrus the Great has had a lasting impression on all the nations. This humanitarian concern has eventually become a universal principle. I hope human rights and the promotion of human development will prevail in the 21st century.

The Persian Empire was the first major eastern power to actually extend its borders into Europe. They came in the 6th century BC seeking to incorporate south-eastern Europe into their empire. Yet Iran's foothold in Europe was tiny, distant and brief. Their contact is usually viewed in terms of conflict: the Graeco-Persian wars, the conquests of Alexander, the numerous wars between Rome and Iran. But Europe's contact with ancient Persia was neither short-lived nor conflicting: it was the beginnings of a complex interaction between East and West that continues to this day.

Beloved Reader, Pictorial History of IRAN, Ancient Persia is about one of the oldest nations and civilizations in the world. I hope the information provided in this book will give you better insight into Persian culture and history, which has survived through the centuries and has withstood the test of time. As a focal point of the crossroad between East and West, the Persian Empire had a tremendous relevance in the development of human culture. Persians dedicated their lives to the cultivation of ideas, cultural exchange, and human development. Like Iran's night sky, the ancient history of Iran is full of shining stars. Large cities in Elam, Hamadan, Pasargardae, and Persepolis were established. The union of Medes and Persians laid the foundation for the Achaemenian Empire, which organized, administered, and governed with justice and order the great Persian nation from the Jaxates river (Sir Darya) to Nile, Asia Minor to Persian Gulf, and east as far as the Hindu river. This great nation enjoyed prosperity, vast communication systems, practice of humanitarian equality, and a well-balanced system of government. Cyrus the Great issued the first declaration of Human Rights, after capturing the Babylonian Empire and freeing the Jews held in captivity there and allowing them to return to Jerusalem. The Persian Empire reached one of its pinnacles during the Mesopotamia era. With the profound influence of Zoroastrian convictions, with "pure thought," "good deeds" and "noble words," the Persian Empire flourished throughout Asia Minork Lydia, all the way to Greece. Up to this point in history, there were no significant scientific and cultural achievements in Greece. Many inscriptions found in Persepolis prove that the Persian Empire was the key in cultivation and spread of civilization, as we know it today. The Persian civilization and the first declaration of human rights by Cyrus the Great has had a lasting impression on all the nations. This humanitarian concern has eventually become a universal principle. I hope human rights and the promotion of human development will prevail in the 21st century.