Ancient Persia : from 550 BC to 650 AD / Josef Wiesehöfer ; translated by Azizeh Azodi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wiesehöfer, Josef.

Standardized Title:

Antike Persien. English

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

Iran--History--To 640.

Iran.

History.

Iran--History--640-1500.

Physical Description:

xiv, 329 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : I.B. Tauris ; New York : In the U.S. of A. and in Canada distributed by St Martin's Press, 1996.

Summary:

Of all the great civilizations of the ancient world, Persia is one of the most remarkable but least understood. What were its origins and why did it collapse so dramatically with the Arab invasions of the seventh century? Josef Wiesehofer, one of the most respected scholars of the ancient world, provides here a comprehensive survey of the Persian Empire under 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. Part of the freshness of this book comes from presenting a historical discussion of Persia from a Near Eastern perspective. A comprehensive social, political and cultural history of ancient Persia, Wiesehofer's book provides important new material for specialists while being fully accessible and appealing to general readers interested in the ancient world.

Notes:

Translation of: Das antike Persien.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-306) and index.

ISBN:

1850439990

OCLC:

37310518