Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE

This was purchased for a college class and is great. The author offers compelling narrative of what could be a dense and boring account. Worth the money

The book Ancient Persia by Professor Matt Waters is a scholarly work which is well-researched and well-written. It is scrupulously objective. It is a concise history of the Achaemenid Empire, the first world empire established by Cyrus the Great and which lasted for 220 years. Because of its unique geopolitical location Iran has been attacked many times by different tribes and armies. Some of these invasions had been very brutal and savage during which monuments, works of arts, libraries, and records have been destroyed. Therefore, the surviving histories of the great Persian empires of Acaemenids and Sasanians have been those of Greeks, Romans, and non-Persians. The primary examples are Persian histories written by Herodotus, Ctesias, and Xenophon. These works, however, seemed to be a mixture of facts, legends, sensational tales, and propaganda. Based on excavations, historical documents in museums and libraries, and the study and learning of ancient languages modern scholars are working hard to separate facts from fiction and present objective histories of ancient civilizations. Professor Waters’ book is a good example of this trend. Whenever, he finds a discrepancy, exaggeration, or a piece of propaganda in the histories written by Greeks or other Western historians Professor Waters logically refutes it. The book traces the Achaemenid Empire from Cyrus the Great to Alexander invasion of Persia. Each king and historical personality is explained clearly and objectively. Of particular interest in the book are those of the three charismatic historical figures of Cyrus the Great, King Darius, and Xerxes. This book is recommended to readers who are looking for a high-quality scholarly work on ancient civilizations.

A very nicely done work.One of the first thing a reader picks up is how sparse good information is regarding the ancient Persian Empire (550-330 BCE). The Achaemenid Empire (a name derived to establish legitimacy of the dynasty) was the major power on the planet at that time--only to be overthrown by Alexander the Great and his Macedonian led forces.One of the key problems in knowing the nature of this Empire is the dependence on such sources as the Greeks and scripture. And much of the information is not very reliable. The Greeks, for instance, would apparently relate historical instances in a political manner. While there is some evidence from the Persian Empire, there are many gaps. Thus, there is a (justifiable) tentativeness to this book.The work itself is set up in a chronological manner, We learn of the emergence of the Empire with Cyrus the Great's rise to power. Then, Cambyses. After them, Daruis I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, Darius II, Artaxerxes II, Artaxerxes III, Artaxerxes IV, and Darius III. And--then--Alexander the Great's triumph over the Persians.Many subjects are discussed that illuminate--even with incomplete information--the Empire: the bureaucracy and governance structure of the Empire, religion and ideology, succession crises as these occurred, the Persian economy and so on.All in all, despite the data problems, a fascinating work. . . .

This is an excellent overview of the Persian Empire. It is well written, concise and highly readable. The author uses written Greek and Persian sources as well as the results of archeological studies. He clearly points out areas of controversy and presents all sides, not just relying on a single source, such as Herodotus. The book covers all of the kings of the empire and topics such as cuneiform, Zoroastrianism, Persian capitals and the use of throne names. I particularly liked the many maps and the fact that the black and white photographs are printed on glossy paper (as is the whole book), making them very clear. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in leaning more about this fascinating subject.What is in the book:The book is divided into 12 chapters, as follows:1. Introduction: Tracking an Empire2. Forerunners of the Achaemenids: The First Half of the First Millennium BCE.3. Persia Rising: A New Empire4. From Cyrus to Darius I: Empire in Transition5. Darius: The Great King6. Mechanics of Empire7. Xerxes: The Expander of the Realm8. Anatomy of Empire9. Empire at Large: From the Death of Xerxes to Darius II10. Maintaining Empire: Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III11. Twilight of the Achaemenids12. Epilog

I am not a scholar, just a Persian history nerd. And I have read many and many and many .... books on Persian history from this period. Most, almost all, are rewrites of the information that was written and has been passed to us from some of Persia's enemies in their historical narritives. There is little information about the Persians from the mouth of the Persians themselves. As such, the stories that circulate about the Persian empire from this time period are contradictory and at most, unlikely.In this work, Matt Walters attempts to clean up the information that is presented. He looks at historical detail obtained about the Persian empire from many sources and places and is able to peice together a more likely series of events of this time period. It is truely an excellent text if you are interested in the the acutal events that may have taken place in this time period. It shows the reader that what is considered Persian history from the Greek perspective, is just that ... it is what the Greeks may have anticipated or thought, but not at all in line with what the Persians were planning or thinking. I hope that there will be more work of this caliber to come in the near future.