The Persians

The only book of its kind to cover both the Achaemenid period and the thousand years following Alexander's conquest, The Persians explores the period from the seventh century BC, to the seventh century AD, and presents a comprehensive introduction to ancient Persia. Incorporating recent research, and translated sources from a wide range of corpus material, Maria Brosius explores the history of Persia, and brings a new understanding of Persian society and culture and the structures on which these empires were built: the king and his court; religion and culture; art and architecture. From the lands of Egypt to the Indus River, from the Russian Steppes to the Indian Ocean, Brosius has provided an up-to-date account of the three empires of pre-Islamic Iran, and discussing key topics such as women, religion and art and architecture, she presents a clear survey of the history of these empires. Providing additional reading references along with frequent source citations, students of ancient Persia will find this an invaluable addition to their course studies.

1. The Archaemenids 1.1 Historical Survey 1.2 King and Court 1.3 Organisation and Administration of the Empire 1.4 Religion 1.5 Art and Architecture (Excursus I: The Creation of 'The Other': The Persians and the Greek-Persian Wars) 2. The Parthians (Arsacids) 2.1 Historical Survey 2.2 King and Court 2.3 Organisation of the Empire 2.4 Religion 2.5 Art and Architecture (Excursus II: The Parthians in the Eyes of the Romans) 3. The Sasanians 3.1 Historical Survey 3.2 King and Court 3.3 Organisation of Empire 3.4 Religion 3.5 Art and Architecture. Appendices. The Achaemenid Dynasty. The Arsacid Dynasty. The Sasanian Dynasty. Selected Bibliography. Index