A History of Ancient Persia 2020023647, 2020023648, 9781444350920, 9781119702542, 9781119702535
548 33 5MB
English Pages [287] Year 2021
Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
List of Special Topics
List of Sources in Translation
List of Boxed Texts
List of Abbreviations
The Achaemenid Dynasty
Preface
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Chapter 1 Introduction
Further Reading
Chapter 2 The Arrival of the Persians on the Iranian Plateau
2.1 The Persians
2.1.1 Parsua and Parsumash
2.1.2 Kurash of Parsumash
2.2 The Indigenous Population of the Iranian Plateau: The Elamites
2.3 The Neighbours in the North: The Medes
2.3.1 Media in Herodotus
2.3.2 Near Eastern Sources on the Medes
Further Reading
Chapter 3 The Establishment of Empire: Cyrus the Great
3.1 Cyrus II and Media
3.1.1 A Folktale or a Tool for Legitimacy?
3.2 The Conquest of the Lydian Kingdom
3.3 Cyrus and the Ionian Greeks
3.4 The First Royal City of the Persians: Pasargadae
3.5 The Conquest of Babylon
3.5.1 A Peaceful Conquest?
3.5.2 Political Astuteness
3.6 The Scythian Campaign
3.7 Cyrus II, Conqueror and Empire‐Builder
Further Reading
Chapter 4 A Worthy Successor: Cambyses II
4.1 The Succession of Cambyses II
4.2 The Power of Propaganda
4.2.1 The Demotic Papyrus
4.3 Cambyses’s Depiction in Herodotus
4.4 The Apis Bull
4.4.1 The Apis Bull and the Death of Cambyses
4.4.2 The Killing of His Sister-Wife
4.4.3 Fratricide
Further Reading
Chapter 5 From Bardiya to Darius I
5.1 The Succession of Darius I
5.1.1 Herodotus’s Version of Events
5.1.2 Darius’s Version: The Inscription of Bisitun
5.2 The Death of Bardiya
5.2.1 Herodotus and the Bisitun Inscription: A Comparison
5.2.2 A Murder Mystery
5.2.3 Darius the Achaemenid
5.2.4 Teispes
5.2.5 The Royal Line of Kings
5.2.6 Dynastic Marriages
5.3 The Consolidation of Empire
5.3.1 Royal Cities
5.3.1.1 Pasargadae
5.3.1.2 Susa
5.3.2 Parsa – City of the Persians
5.4 Foreign Policy
5.4.1 The Scythian Campaign
5.4.2 The Athenian-Persian Alliance of 508/7
5.4.3 The Ionian Revolt
5.4.4 The Sequence of Events
5.4.5 Problems in the Historical Account
5.4.6 The Punitive Campaign of 490
Further Reading
Chapter 6 The Face of Empire
6.1 Achaemenid Kingship
6.1.1 The Power of Royal Imagery
6.2 Royal Ideology
6.3 Persian Religion
6.3.1 Funerary Customs
6.4 Persepolis: The Microcosm of Empire
6.4.1 The Royal Court
6.4.2 Gift-Giving
6.4.3 Rhyta
6.4.4 The Women of the Court
6.4.5 The King’s Friends and Benefactors
6.4.6 Courtiers
6.4.7 Refugees and Foreigners
Further Reading
Chapter 7 The Organisation of Power
7.1 The Satraps
7.1.1 The Satrapies
7.1.2 The Great Satrapy of Bactria
7.1.3 The Status of the Caucasus Region and Thrace
7.2 Administering the Empire
7.2.1 Royal Correspondence
7.2.2 Taxes and Tribute
7.2.3 The Administration of Persepolis
7.2.4 Royal Roads
Further Reading
Chapter 8 Taking up the Baton: Diplomacy and Foreign Policy from Xerxes I to Artaxerxes II
8.1 The Reign of Xerxes
8.1.1 Xerxes’s Succession
8.1.2 Quashing Rebellions in Egypt and Babylonia
8.2 The War in Greece
8.2.1 The State of Play in Greece
8.2.2 The Persian Army on the March
8.2.3 Thermopylae and Artemisium
8.2.4 The Fall of Athens and the Battle of Salamis
8.2.5 Attempts at Diplomacy
8.2.6 The Battle of Plataea
8.2.7 Xerxes in Asia Minor
8.2.8 The Story of Xerxes and the Wife of Masistes
8.2.9 … And a Story Retold
8.2.10 The Beginning of the Myth
8.2.11 Medising
8.2.12 Perserie
8.2.13 After the War
8.3 Artaxerxes I
8.3.1 The Death of Xerxes I and the Succession of Artaxerxes I
8.3.2 Revolts in Bactria and Egypt
8.3.3 Rebellion in Egypt 464–454
8.3.4 The Revolt of Megabyxus
8.3.5 The Peace of Callias
8.3.6 Judaea Under Artaxerxes I
8.3.7 Continuity in Persepolis
8.4 Succession Trouble in 424
8.4.1 Rebellions in the Empire
8.4.2 The Royal Building Programme Continued
8.4.3 Persia Re-enters Greek Politics
8.4.4 The Bilateral Treaty of 411
8.5 Artaxerxes II
8.5.1 The War of the Brothers
8.5.2 Persian Affairs in Asia Minor
8.5.3 Evagoras of Salamis
8.5.4 Revolt in Egypt 404/400–343/2
8.6 The Winds of Change
8.6.1 City-Rulers and Local Dynasts of the Western Empire
8.6.2 The Hecatomnids
8.6.3 Perikle of Limyra
8.6.4 The Political Level
8.6.5 Stele of the King of Byblos/Gubal
8.6.6 Rebellions in Western Asia Minor 366–359/8
8.6.7 Datames
8.6.8 Ariobarzanes
8.6.9 Orontes
8.6.10 The Death of Artaxerxes II
Further Reading
Chapter 9 A Whole New Ballgame: The Reign of Artaxerxes III and Artaxerxes IV
9.1 The Succession of Artaxerxes III
9.2 Egypt
9.3 Athenian–Persian Relations 349–342
9.4 The Death of Artaxerxes III and the Reign of Artaxerxes IV
Further Reading
Chapter 10 A Good King in the End: Darius III
10.1 The Succession of Darius III
10.1.1 Battling Negative Propaganda
10.2 External Threat
10.2.1 The Macedonian Invasion
10.2.2 Granicus
10.2.3 Issus
10.2.4 Gaugamela
10.2.5 The Royal Cities
10.2.6 The Death of Darius III
10.3 In the Footsteps of the Persian Kings?
Further Reading
Chapter 11 Epilogue
Further Reading
Bibliography
Index
EULA
