The Persians

Lost Civilizations

Brenda Parker, Geoffrey Parker

$29.99

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

Reaktion Books
01 June 2023

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Archaeology

Series: Lost Civilizations

Now available in paperback, The Persians tells the story of this cultured ancient civilisation, tracing the unique features of Persian life as well as their influence down the centuries.

During the first and second millennia BCE a swathe of nomadic peoples migrated outward from Central Asia into the Eurasian periphery. One group of these people would find themselves encamped in an unpromising, arid region just south of the Caspian Sea. From these modest and uncertain beginnings, they would go on to form one of the most powerful empires in history: the Persian Empire. In this book, Geoffrey and Brenda Parker tell the captivating story of this ancient civilization and its enduring legacy to the world.

The authors examine the unique features of Persian life and trace their influence throughout the centuries. They examine the environmental difficulties the early Persians encountered and how, in overcoming them, they were able to develop a unique culture that would culminate in the massive, first empire, the Achaemenid Empire. Extending their influence into the maritime west, they fought the Greeks for mastery of the eastern Mediterranean — one of the most significant geopolitical contests of the ancient world. And the authors paint vivid portraits of Persian cities and their spectacular achievements: intricate and far-reaching roadways, an astonishing irrigation system that created desert paradises, and, above all, an extraordinary reflection of the diverse peoples that inhabited them.

'Anyone looking for a concise overview of Iranian history from pre-Islamic times to the present could do worse than consult this elegantly written volume, part of a series on the rise and fall of civilizations. The authors devote fully half of the book to ancient Iran, which they see as both the world’s first superpower and a model for the modern, postimperial world in its federalist tendencies. The book’s focus is on Iran, but the Parkers occasionally branch out into the wider ‘Persianate’ universe, such as in a nice chapter on Central Asia, while offering illuminating digressions on poetry and gardens...

Recommended.' — Choice

'The second in the Lost Civilizations series, The Persians is also a compact, concise history of a whole civilization — from its nomadic origins in the first and second millennia BC to its new role as a tourist destination as modern-day Iran...

Tellingly, the book’s useful chronology ends in 2001 with the destruction of the Twin Towers. Today, Iran’s power and influence is far from waning.' — Minerva

By: Brenda Parker, Geoffrey Parker
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781789146899
ISBN 10: 1789146895
Series: Lost Civilizations
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 01 June 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chronology Preface: lost and found Origins: the land and the people The achaemenid dynasty The achievements of the achaemenids Cyrus the Great in history and legend Persepolis: city, throne and power Thus Spake Zarathustra: religion and empire Paradise gained Alexander of Macedon and the Hellenistic interlude Empire revived: the Sasanids Islamic Persia and Persian Islam From Persepolis to Samarkand: the Persian legacy in central Asia Paradise if Bliss: the Persian Legacy in India from the Timurids to the Mughals Cyrus with Golden Caviar: the Last dynasty salutes the first From Shahyad to Azadi: the Islamic Republic and the Ancient Legacy Lost in Translation? The first superpower? Conclusion: power and paradise References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo acknowledgements Index

Geoffrey Parker is Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. His books include The Logic of Unity (1986), The Geopolitics of Domination from the Ottoman Empire to the Soviet Union (1988), Geopolitics: Past, Present and Future (1998), Sovereign City (2004) and Power in Stone (2014), both published by Reaktion Books.

Reviews for The Persians: Lost Civilizations

'The second in the Lost Civilizations series, The Persians is also a compact, concise history of a whole civilisation - from its nomadic origins in the 1st and 2nd millennia BC to its new role as a tourist destination as modern-day Iran . . . Tellingly, the book's useful chronology ends in 2001 with the destruction of the Twin Towers. Today, Iran's power and influence is far from waning' - Minerva Magazine; 'Anyone looking for a concise overview of Iranian history from pre-Islamic times to the present could do worse than consult this elegantly written volume' - Choice