Read more
A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy of ancient Persia The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palace-city of Persepolis, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the late 330s BCE. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world's first superpower--one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran, a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world.
About the author
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University. He specializes in Achaemenid Persia and in Greek socio-cultural history, and in the reception of antiquity in popular culture. He is the general editor of Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia for Edinburgh University Press and co- general editor of Screening Antiquity, also for EUP. Born in South Wales and educated in Hull and Cardiff, Lloyd travels extensively throughout the Middle East, especially Iran, often leading cultural tours, and has acted as historical consultant for major Hollywood movies and for television documentaries. He loves theatre and opera.
