Persian Empire

<p>Bringing together a wide variety of material in many different languages that exists from the substantial body of work left by this large empire, <em>The Persian Empire</em> presents annotated translations, together with introductions to the problems of using it in order to gain an understanding of the history and working os this remarkable political entity. </p><p>The Achaemenid empire developed in the region of modern Fars (Islam) and expanded to unite territories stretching from the Segean and Egypt in the west to Central Asia and north-west India, which it ruled for over 200 years until its conquest by Alexander of Macedon. </p><p>Although all these regions had long since been in contact with each other, they had never been linked under a single regime. The Persian empire represents an important phase of transformation for its subjects, such as the Jews, as well as those living on its edges, such as the European Greeks. </p> <p>1. The Sources <strong>Part I. Prehistory and Formation of the Empire (c.750-520)</strong> 2. The Medes 3. Cyrus the Great 4. The Reign of Cambyses 5. From Cambyses to Darius I <strong>Part II. Achaemenid History and its Problems</strong> 6. The Empire under Darius I: Expansion, Revolt, Consolidation 7. The Reign of Xerxes 8. From Artaxerxes I to Darius II's Last Years 9. Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III 10. The Fall of the Achaemenid Empire <strong>Part III. Kings and Kingship</strong> 11. Images of Empire, Royal Ideology and the Cultic Framework 12. The Organisation of the Court 13. Mechanisms of Power Part <strong>IV. Achaemenid Imperial Organisation</strong> 14. Tribute, Tax, Imposts 15. Routes and Communication Networks 16. Bureaucracy, Production, Settlement 17. Unity and Diversity</p>