{"product_id":"king-of-the-world-9780190927172","title":"King of the World","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Persian Empire was the world''s first hyperpower, with territory stretching from Central Asia to Northeastern Africa and from Southeastern Europe to the Indus Valley. It was the dominant geopolitical force from the later sixth century to its conquest by Alexander in the 330s BCE. Much of the empire''s territory was conquered by its founder, Cyrus the Great, who reigned from 559-530 BCE. Cyrus became a legend in his own lifetime, and his career inspired keen interest from Persia''s unruly neighbors to the west, the ancient Greeks. The idealized portrait of Cyrus by the Greek Xenophon had a profound impact on ancient, medieval, and early modern debates about rulership. King of the World provides an authoritative and accessible account of Cyrus the Great''s life, career, and legacy. While Greek sources remain central to any narrative about Cyrus, a wealth of primary evidence is found in the ancient Near East, including documentary, archaeological, art historical, and biblical material. Matt Waters draws from all of these sources while consistently contextualizing them in order to provide a cohesive understanding of Cyrus the Great. This overview addresses issues of interpretation and reconciles limited material, while the narrative keeps Cyrus the Great''s compelling career at the forefront. Cyrus'' legacy is enormous and not fully appreciated King of the World takes readers on a journey that reveals his powerful impact and preserves his story for future generations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is a quick read and is a page turner. The interdisciplinary approach of weaving together history, archaeology, and other fields is much appreciated as well.... An excellent book for anyone seeking to learn about Cyrus and the Persian Empire. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *\u003cbr\u003e[Waters] has put together a careful but readable account of what we know about that empire's charismatic founder. * Claremont Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eMatt Waters...is one of those rare scholars capable both of reading the Cyrus Cylinder in its original Standard Babylonian—he includes a new translation as an appendix to his book King of the World—and also of writing about it, and its putative author, in an engaging, approachable way. His study takes us deep inside the career and achievements of Cyrus, while sensibly declining to reconstruct the king's inner life....His portrait of Cyrus is attractive and his research authoritative. * New York Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eMatt Waters' King of the World is an impressive biographical study of one of the most important figures in ancient history. Waters not only situates Cyrus in the context of Near Eastern and world history, but also his reception in the longue durée. * Touraj Daryaee, Maseeh Chair in Persian Studies \u0026amp; Culture, and Director of the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture, University of California, Irvine *\u003cbr\u003eThis study of Cyrus the Great is a tour-de-force and will be welcomed and used by teachers, scholars, students, and the interested public. Waters' command of ancient sources and vast knowledge of recent scholarship offers a comprehensive overview of Cyrus, contextualized within the human landscape of the ancient world. Magnificent! * Elspeth Dusinberre, Professor of Distinction, University of Colorado Boulder *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface    Figures and Maps    Chronological Chart\/Table    Timeline    Chapter 1 DS Introduction: The Kings of Anshan  Scope and Scale: The Cusp of the First World Empire  An Achaemenid Renaissance  Setting the Historical Stage  Persians and Iranians  The Kingdom of Anshan\/Parsumash among the Great Powers pp. 14-23  Cyrus I  A Royal Heirloom  What's in a (Throne) Name?  Endnotes  Chapter 2 DS An Irresistible Force  A New Son Rising  Cyrus and Cassandane  The Daughters of Cyrus: Atossa and Artystone  Endnotes  Chapter 3 DS On the March  Median Problems  (More) Dreaming of Cyrus  Cyrus' War with Astyages  Go West, Young Man  Endnotes    Chapter 4 DS The Chosen One   The Conquest of Babylonia  Cyrus' Babylonian Inscriptions  The Cyrus Cylinder  Royal Inscriptions from Uruk and Ur  The Verse Account  A Time of Transition  Endnotes    Chapter 5 DS The Imperial Project  (Re)Ordering the World  The Roads Go Ever On  The Persian Army  A Unifying Ideology  More Territory, More Capitals  Pasargadae  Tomb of Cyrus  Gate R  Palaces S and P  Paradise Found, The Royal Garden  The Zendan and the Tall-i Takht  Exit Pasargadae  Cyrus the Polytheist  Endnotes    Chapter 6 DS Legacies  The Death of Cyrus  Reality and Imagination  Recalling Cyrus: Alexander III of Macedon  Subtle but Formidable Remembrances  Conclusions: New out of Old  Endnotes    Appendix A DS On Sources  Endnotes    Appendix B DS Translation of the Cyrus Cylinder    Appendix C DS Teispids and Achaemenids  Endotes    Bibliography","brand":"Oxford University Press Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49083375616343,"sku":"9780190927172","price":25.17,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780190927172.jpg?v=1725548726","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/king-of-the-world-9780190927172","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}