Persians: The Age of the Great Kings

483 Pages·2021·6.696 MB·English

by  Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Copyright © 2022 by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Cover design by Ann Kirchner
Cover images © Louvre, Paris, France / Bridgeman Images; © Zita /
Shutterstock.com; © photonova / Shutterstock.com; © Magdalena
Cvetkovic / Shutterstock.com
Cover copyright © 2022 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Epigraph calligraphy © Farnaz Moshenpour 2022
Map and Family Tree Artwork © Tim Peters 2022
All Line Drawings © Kateryna Kyslitska 2022
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First published in 2022 by WILDFIRE an imprint of HEADLINE
PUBLISHING GROUP, an Hachette UK company.
First US Edition: April 2022
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021943742
ISBNs: 9781541600348 (hardcover), 9781541600355 (ebook)
E3-20220307-JV-NF-ORI
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Epigraph
Dedication
List of Illustrations
Map
Family Tree
Prologue: Persepolis 488 BCE
Introduction
Part One: Establishing Empire
1. The Medes and the Persians
2. See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes
3. The Many Deaths – and Births – of Cyrus the Great
4. The Sceptre of Egypt
5. The Truth and the Lie
Part Two: Being Persian
6. When Bureaucrats Ruled the World
7. A Court under Canvas
8. Constructing Majesty
9. Slavery by Another Name
10. Crowns and Concubines
11. The Politics of Etiquette
12. Also Sprach Zarathustra
Part Three: High Empire
13. Exit Darius
14. Ruling Over Heroes
15. Let Slip the Dogs of War
16. Les Liaisons dangereuses
17. The Times They are a-Changin’
18. (Un)Happy Families
19. Blood Brothers
20. Women Beware Women
21. Violent Delights Have Violent Ends
22. Some Talk of Alexander
Epilogue: Persian Past; Iranian Present
Photos
Dramatis Personae
Further Reading
A Note on Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Discover More
About the Author
Praise for Persians
A bowl of wine is the Mirror of Alexander –
Look, it displays the state of King Darius’ realm to us.
– Hafez
To my students, past and present,
for joining me on the journey back to Persia.
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