Persians

Resumen del libro

THE PERSIANS is a definitive new history of the Persian Empire, the world's first superpower. The Great Kings of Persia ruled over the largest Empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the Steppes of Asia, and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. At the heart of the Empire was the fabled palace-city of Persepolis where the Achaemenid monarchs held court in unparalleled grandeur.

From here, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs passed laws, raised armies, and governed their multicultural Empire of enormous diversity. The Achaemenids, however, were one of the great dysfunctional families of history. Brothers fought brothers for power, wives and concubines plotted to promote their sons to the throne, and eunuchs and courtiers vied for influence and prestige.

Our understanding of the Persian Empire has traditionally come from the histories of Greek writers such as Herodotus - and as such, over many centuries, our perspective has been skewed by ancient political and cultural agendas. Professor Llewellyn-Jones, however, calls upon original Achaemenid sources, including inscriptions, art, and recent archaeological discoveries in Iran, to create an authentic 'Persian Version' of this remarkable first great empire of antiquity - the Age of the Great Kings.

Biografía del autor

x{0026}lt;p x{0026}lt;b Lloyd Llewellyn-Jonesx{0026}lt;/b es catedrático de Historia Antigua en la Universidad de Cardiff. Está especializado en la Persia aqueménida y la historia sociocultural griega, así como en la recepción de la Antigüedad en la cultura popular. Es editor jefe de Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia para la Edinburgh University Press y coeditor general de Screening Antiquity, también para EUP. Nacido en el sur de Gales y educado en Hull y Cardiff, Lloyd viaja con frecuencia por Oriente Próximo, especialmente Irán, a menudo dirigiendo viajes culturales, y ha actuado como asesor histórico para importantes películas de Hollywood y para documentales de televisión. Le encantan el teatro y la ópera.x{0026}lt;/p