Description
Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, The Persians tells the story of this cultured ancient civilization, tracing the unique features of Persian life as well as their influence down the centuries. The book describes the difficulties early Persians encountered and how these contributed to their unique character and the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire. It recounts the keenly fought conflicts with the Greeks for mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean, a contest which was to dominate the geopolitics of the ancient world, and it paints a vivid picture of the many great Persian cities and their spectacular achievements: an efficient road system that linked an empire together; respect for their subject peoples; and advances in irrigation techniques which created a 'paradise' envied by their neighbours.
Trade Review'The second in the Lost Civilizations series, The Persians is also a compact, concise history of a whole civilisation - from its nomadic origins in the 1st and 2nd millennia BC to its new role as a tourist destination as modern-day Iran . . . Tellingly, the book's useful chronology ends in 2001 with the destruction of the Twin Towers. Today, Iran's power and influence is far from waning' - Minerva Magazine; 'Anyone looking for a concise overview of Iranian history from pre-Islamic times to the present could do worse than consult this elegantly written volume' - Choice
Table of ContentsChronology Preface: lost and found Origins: the land and the people The achaemenid dynasty The achievements of the achaemenids Cyrus the Great in history and legend Persepolis: city, throne and power Thus Spake Zarathustra: religion and empire Paradise gained Alexander of Macedon and the Hellenistic interlude Empire revived: the Sasanids Islamic Persia and Persian Islam From Persepolis to Samarkand: the Persian legacy in central Asia Paradise if Bliss: the Persian Legacy in India from the Timurids to the Mughals Cyrus with Golden Caviar: the Last dynasty salutes the first From Shahyad to Azadi: the Islamic Republic and the Ancient Legacy Lost in Translation? The first superpower? Conclusion: power and paradise References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo acknowledgements Index
