Product Description

Of all the great civilizations of the ancient world, that of Persia is one of the most remarkable but least understood. This is a study of the country's origins and why it collapsed so dramatically with the Arab invasions of the seventh century. Josef Wiesehofer, provides a comprehensive survey of the Persian Empire under the Achaeminids, the Parthians and the Sassanians. By focusing on the primary Persian sources - written, archaeological and numismatic evidence from Persia - he avoids the traditional Western approach which has tended to rely so heavily on inaccurate, and sometimes prejudiced, Greek and Roman sources.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #132342 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Review
"The book deserves to continue to serve scholars and students for many years. A strength is the emphasis it gives to evaluating sources, and its balanced approach to them all..." -John Boardman, (University of Oxford) Ancient West & East 'This book presents a historical discussion of Persia from a Near Eastern perspective. A comprehensive social, political and cultural history of ancient Persia, providing new material for specialists while being fully accessible and appealing to anyone interested in the ancient world.' -- Fred Rhodes, The Middle East "Required Reading for a look at the nature of the Persian Empire as seen by the Persians." -The Guardian

About the Author
Josef Wiesehofer is Professor of Ancient History at the Institut fur Klassische Altertumskunde at the University of Kiel, Germany, and is the author of numerous books.

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece
Anyone interested in the history of ancient Iran simply has no other choice than to read this excellent book. Maybe it's not written for absolute beginners, but the author successfully attempts to establish a new image of Persia and the Persians. Buy it.

A heavy going scholarly work on the sociology of Persia
J Wiesehofer sets out to descibe the ancient dynasties of Ancient Persia which he hopes will appeal to general readers interested in this area. Unfortunately the work he produces although undoubtedly scholarly is a very heavy read with emphasis on evidence based history. Direct translations of inscriptions and word derivations abound so breaking up what little narrative flow he achieves.He concentrates on the socio-economic background and the political machinations of the various dynasties but virtually ignores the Persians' interactions with other peoples. Readers looking for a Persian perpective on campaigns with the Assyrians or Greeks will be sorely disappointed- indeed Marathon and Thermopylae which one would imagine were extremely important turning points in the decline of the Persian empire are scarcely mentioned. I am sure this book is of value to students of this period but as a general book on the Persian Empire and its place in history, it is best avoided.