The Persians: The Age of The Great Kings

A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy of ancient Persia The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palace-city of Persepolis, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the late 330s BCE. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world’s first superpower—one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran, a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world. "In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of the Persian Empire and the world it ruled. The Achaemenids, monarchs of the First Persian Empire, ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the Steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palace-city of Persepolis, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs passed laws, raised armies, received tribute, and reigned supreme over their empire. Despite internal revolts, succession struggles, and even regicides, the Achaemenid empire thrived for more than two centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in in the late 330s BCE. For too long the history of ancient Iran has been written from the perspective of its Greek conquerors, whose pejorative 'histories' have been reiterated by classicists down to the present day. Llewellyn-Jones instead privileges authentic Iranian sources-inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology-to present, for the first time, the definitive history of the Achaemenid Empire as it saw itself. He reorients our understanding of the ancient world and shows how the First Persian Empire was in fact the world's first superpower-an empire built, unusually for imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. In modern Iran, secular and Islamic regimes alike have drawn from this rich cultural heritage to justify their authority. Original and authoritative, Persians is a stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy of the long-vanished world of ancient Persia"-- Provided by publisher "The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palace-city of Persepolis, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the late 330s BCE. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world's first superpower--one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran, a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world."--Amazon Contents List of Illustrations Map Family Tree Persepolis 488 BCE Introduction Establishing Empire The Medes and the Persians See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes The Many Deaths — and Births — of Cyrus the Great The Septre of Egypt The Truth and the Lie Being Persian When Bureaucrats Ruled the World A Court under Canvas Constructing Majesty Slavery by Another Name Crowns and Concubines The Politics of Etiquette Also Sprach Zarathustra High Empire Exit Darius Ruling Over Heroes Let Slip the Dogs of War Les Liaisons dangereuses The Times They are a-Changin’ (Un)Happy Families Blood Brothers Women Beware Women Violent Delights Have Violent Ends Some Talk of Alexander Persian Past; Iranian Present Dramatis Personae Further Reading Acknowledgments Index About the Author At the Nowruz festival in the spring of 488 BCE, the time in which the Persians celebrated their New Year with feasting, partying, and gift-giving, Darius, Great King, King of Kings, King of All Lands, the Achaemenid, sat on his throne in the heart of his palace-city of Persepolis and magnanimously received the homage of his empire. A history of the Persian Empire from a Persian perspective (as much as that's possible) from its founding in the early 600 BCE by Cyrus I to its end in 330 BCE with the death of Darius III.