Persian Responses - New Book on Persian History

Recommend, or otherwise, books on Alexander (fiction or non-fiction). Promote your novel here!

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amyntoros
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Persian Responses - New Book on Persian History

Post by amyntoros »

This is a thread which might not generate much response as I don't know how many Pothosians will likely purchase the following rather expensive book, although I'm sure that many, like myself, would LOVE to read it. I discovered the information on it whilst browsing an online book store ...

Persian Responses: Political and Cultural Interaction Within the Achaemenid Empire
A generation ago the Achaemenid Empire was a minor sideshow within long-established disciplines. For Greek historians the Persians were the defeated national enemy, a catalyst of change in the aftermath of the fall of Athens or the victim of Alexander. For Egyptologists and Assyriologists they belonged to an era that received scant attention compared with the glory days of the New Kingdom or the Neo-Assyrian Empire. For most archaeologists they were elusive in a material record that lacked a distinctively Achaemenid imprint. Things have changed now. The empire is an object of study in its own right, and a community of Achaemenid specialists has emerged to carry that study forward. Such communities are, however, apt to talk among themselves and the present volume aims to give a professional but non-specialist audience some taste of the variety of subject-matter and discourse that typifies Achaemenid studies. The broad theme of political and cultural interaction reflecting the empire's diversity and the nature of the sources for its history is illustrated in fourteen chapters that move from issues in Greek historiography through a series of regional studies (Egypt, Anatolia, Babylonia and Persia) to Zarathushtra, Alexander the Great and the early modern reception of Persepolis.
Table of Contents (from the Oxbow books site)
Thucydides' Portrait of Tissaphernes Re-Examined (John Hyland); Xenophon's Wicked Persian, or What's Wrong with Tissaphernes? Xenophon's Views on Lying and Breaking Oaths (Gabriel Danzig); On Persian Tryphe in Athenaeus (Dominique Lenfant ); Treacherous Hearts and Upright Tiaras: the Achaemenid King's Head-dress (Christopher Tuplin); Darius I in Egypt: Suez and Hibis (Alan Lloyd); Indigenous Aristocracies in Hellespontine Phrygia (Frédéric MaffreEric Raimond); Babylonian Workers in the Persian Heartland during the reign of Cambyses (Wouter Henkelman & Kristin KleberMargaret Cool Root ); Boxus the Persian and the Hellenization of Persis (Nicholas Sekunda); The Philosopher's Zarathushtra (Phiroze Vasunia); Alexander the Great: ‘Last of the Achaemenids’? (Robin Lane Fox); ‘Chilminar olim Persepolis’: European Reception of a Persian Ruin (Lindsay Allen); Pottering around Persepolis: Observations on Early European Visitors to the Site (St John Simpson).


The actually title, btw, is Persian Responses: Political and Cultural Interaction With(In) the Achaemenid Empire, but I used the parenthesis when first searching Amazon and the book was not to be found. Oh, what I’d give to read this one. I may try an interlibrary loan although it may be a while before it finds its way on to most university bookshelves. So, if anyone has access to a wonderful university library or the desire (and the funds!) to purchase this book do, please, post and tell us more about the articles within.

Best regards,
Amyntoros

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Paralus
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Post by Paralus »

What a fascinating book. The blurb is spot on: the Helleno-centric historical view has this empire as some overreaching cabal of effete and decadent barbarians. They seem to exist as some foil for the upright, virtuous and courageous Greeks and Macedonians who are destined to cast them aside.

Eisenbrauns has the book listed as “not yet published”. A check of the publisher’s website elicits the none too helpful information that the site is being “upgraded”.

Seems I simply have to wait. Bit like Bosworth’s proposed monograph on the Diadochoi.

As Dr. Smith will have intoned: the pain, the pain…
Paralus
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;
Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

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marcus
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Re: Persian Responses - New Book on Persian History

Post by marcus »

amyntoros wrote:So, if anyone has access to a wonderful university library or the desire (and the funds!) to purchase this book do, please, post and tell us more about the articles within.
Looks wonderful, thank you.

Well, I've put it on my Amazon wishlist, as I have a (significant) birthday coming up and ... well ... you never know! :wink:

BTW, did I ever boast to everyone on this Forum that I am, finally, getting to Iran at Easter? I know there are Pothosians who have managed to travel there, so I'm hardly breaking new ground ... but for various personal and professional reasons this had become a little bit of a crusade (forgive the slightly controversial choice of word!) and I'm dead chuffed that I'm finally realising it. So, come early-April, I shall be at Persepolis! :D :D

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Fiona
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Re: Persian Responses - New Book on Persian History

Post by Fiona »

marcus wrote:
BTW, did I ever boast to everyone on this Forum that I am, finally, getting to Iran at Easter? I know there are Pothosians who have managed to travel there, so I'm hardly breaking new ground ... but for various personal and professional reasons this had become a little bit of a crusade (forgive the slightly controversial choice of word!) and I'm dead chuffed that I'm finally realising it. So, come early-April, I shall be at Persepolis! :D :D

ATB
How lovely! What an exciting trip, I hope you have a great time. I'm excited too because in April I'm going to Naples for the first time. Can't wait to see the mosaic with my own eyes.
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karen
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Post by karen »

YOU TWO MUST TAKE INNUMERABLE PICTURES allowing the rest of us to join you vicariously on your trips!

I am hoping to go to Greece, esp. Makedonia, in the spring, but at this point it seems a real long shot financially. Unless I get a certain book grant, though in truth that's a long shot too.

I'm afraid to ask how much that book costs, Amyntoros. It sounds just wonderful. One thing I'll always love Mary Renault for; you just can't think of Persians as an "overreaching cabal of effete and decadent barbarians," or a foil, or anything but real people... once you've read The Persian Boy.

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amyntoros
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Post by amyntoros »

marcus wrote:Well, I've put it on my Amazon wishlist, as I have a (significant) birthday coming up and ... well ... you never know! :wink:


Ah ah! A "significant" birthday, huh? Methinks it must be one of those with an "0" at the end of the number. :wink: As for your visit to Persepolis - I'm utterly envious yet totally delighted for you. Have a wonderful time!
karen wrote:I'm afraid to ask how much that book costs, Amyntoros. It sounds just wonderful. One thing I'll always love Mary Renault for; you just can't think of Persians as an "overreaching cabal of effete and decadent barbarians," or a foil, or anything but real people... once you've read The Persian Boy.
A whopping $89.50, I'm afraid. Yes, there are books (which I want) that cost even more, and I could save up for this one, but because I'm always comparing prices of used books (on Amazon's Marketplace, Ebay, Addall.com, etc) I could probably buy six to eight other books on my wish list for the price of this single volume. Yet I'm sorely tempted ...

There are a great many reasons to love Mary Renault even if one doesn't always agree with her. Your comment sent me looking for a particular quote in her The Nature of Alexander on Persians. I didn't find it, unfortunately, but spent a good half hour totally enthralled by the expressive nature of her writing. She makes me feel like I never left kindergarten!

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Amyntoros

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Fiona
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Post by Fiona »

karen wrote:YOU TWO MUST TAKE INNUMERABLE PICTURES allowing the rest of us to join you vicariously on your trips!

I am hoping to go to Greece, esp. Makedonia, in the spring, but at this point it seems a real long shot financially. Unless I get a certain book grant, though in truth that's a long shot too.
I will take lots of photos, and share them. Hope you get to go to Greece, especially in the spring - best time to visit these hot countries!
karen wrote: I'm afraid to ask how much that book costs, Amyntoros. It sounds just wonderful. One thing I'll always love Mary Renault for; you just can't think of Persians as an "overreaching cabal of effete and decadent barbarians," or a foil, or anything but real people... once you've read The Persian Boy.
Karen
Agree with you about The Persian Boy - very realistic and human characters. I loved the way one saw the Macedonians through the Persian boy's eyes - how so many of their actions seemed so strange to him! Especially the bit where they get Bucephalus back, and they've all got tears in their eyes, and Bagoas is expecting to see the most wonderful horse, and it's just this old one!
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Post by derek »

Marcus,

I'm jealous. Persepolis has been top of my list for a long time, way up there with Shangri-la. If I still lived in England, I'd be all for going, but those American immigration officers are scary at the best of times. Green card or not, I can imagine trying to get back in with an Iranian stamp in my passport!

I, too, have a significant birthday coming up, 50 in May. I'm consoling myself by finally visiting the pyramids.

Derek
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