Persian Classics

Unquestionably, Herodotus has left mankind one of the world's greatest works of literature. The Persian Wars is part history, part geography, part anthropology...and completely entertaining. It possesses a charm that is legendary. But, over and above this, Herodotus has succeeded for all time in brilliantly expressing the conflict between the ideal of the free man defending his liberty within a state based on the rule of law, and that of the despot who bases his rule on brute force and whose subjects are considered slaves.

A GROUNDBREAKING QUEER CLASSIC AND POWERFUL REIMAGINING OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS LOVER, FOR FANS OF SONG OF ACHILLES AND THE ODYSSEY 'One of the greatest historical novels ever written' SARAH WATERS 'I love to find queer representation in historical fiction . . . Renault's...

Prepare to be transported into the thunderous sweep of Persian history. This section of Shahnameh (Chapters 16-27 in Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings) moves from myth to history, chronicling the dramatic rise of the Sassanian dynasty and its eventual fall. Through masterful storytelling, the epic brings to life royal ambition, political intrigue, heroic resistance, and cultural transformation—culminating in the Arab conquest of Iran in the seventh century. Performed by award-winning voice actor Marc Thompson, this performative audiobook places you at the heart of the action.

From an award-winning historian, the definitive history of classical Greece and the rivalry between its two greatest cities. No period has more profoundly influenced the Western world than classical Greece, and at its center stood two cities: Athens and Sparta. Side by side, they beat the...

Kamran Esfahani, a dentist living out a dreary existence in Stockholm, agrees to spy for the Mossad after he’s recruited by Arik Glitzman, the chief of a clandestine unit tasked with running targeted assassinations and sabotage inside Iran. At Glitzman’s direction, Kam returns to his native Tehran and opens a dental practice there, using it as a cover for the Israeli intelligence agency. Kam proves to be a skillful asset, quietly earning money helping Glitzman smuggle weapons, run surveillance, and conduct kidnappings.

Xenophon’s Cyropaedia is one of antiquity’s most ambitious studies of leadership, power, education, and empire. Written in the fourth century BCE, the Cyropaedia—or The Education of Cyrus—presents Xenophon’s account of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire. It is not a conventional biography. Xenophon uses the life of Cyrus to ask a larger political question: what kind of person can persuade others not merely to obey, but to follow willingly? The story begins with Cyrus as a boy, educated in the disciplined customs of Persia but exposed to the wealth and ceremony of the ...

This masterful translation brings legendary heroes, tragic destinies, sweeping romances, colossal monsters, and fearless warriors vividly to life, unfolding a mythic saga that spans thousands of years. Originally composed as an 11th-century epic poem, Shahnameh endures as one of the world’s greatest masterpieces of mythology and storytelling. Performed by award-winning voice actor Marc Thompson and enriched with evocative sound design by Hamid Rahmanian, creator of the Shahnameh Project, this theatrical audiobook is truly cinema for the ear.

Seeking to depose his brother Artaxerxes and take his place upon the Persian throne, Cyrus the Younger leads the 10,000 mercenaries on a dangerous campaign deep into the heart of Persia. There, Cyrus is killed and his generals overthrown, leaving a young Xenophon to lead the army on its treacherous journey home. Snowy mountains, wide rivers, violent blizzards, and hostile tribes obstruct their way, testing Xenophon's leadership and his soldiers' perseverance to the extreme.

Savushun chronicles the life of a Persian family during the Allied occupation of Iran during World War II. It is set in Shiraz, a town which evokes images of Persepolis and pre-Islamic monuments, the great poets, the shrines, Sufis, and nomadic tribes within a historical web of the interests, privilege, and influence of foreign powers; corruption, incompetence, and arrogance of persons in authority; the paternalistic landowner-peasant relationship; tribalism; and the fear of famine.

Aeschylus’ historical tragedy Persians, with its dire warnings against the hubris of imperialist overreach, is as relevant today as it was when first presented to an Athenian audience in 472 BC. This new edition of the classic drama features a literal translation by Mark Will (translator of Fernando Pessoa’s Message) which reconstructs in contemporary English verse the epic cadences of the original Greek.

Step into the world that shaped civilization. Ancient Greece: The Complete Story of Ancient Greek Civilization brings to life the rise, glory, and legacy of one of history’s most powerful and fascinating cultures. From the first settlements and legendary Bronze Age kingdoms to the sweeping conquests of Alexander the Great, this book delivers a vivid, fast-paced account of the Greek world like never before. Discover the drama of the Trojan War, the collapse of early civilizations, and the rebirth of Greece in the age of city-states. Experience the fierce rivalry between Athens and Sparta, ...

The earliest surviving account of Alexander the Great, in a new English translation from the Greek. Diodorus Siculus wrote his Library of History in the first century BC, and devoted its seventeenth book entirely to Alexander: from his accession at the age of twenty in 336 BC to his death at Babylon eleven years later. Arrian, Curtius Rufus and Plutarch all wrote afterwards. Diodorus came first, and his is the oldest continuous narrative of the reign that has come down to us. It is also a markedly different one. Arrian worked from the memoirs of Alexander's own officers and produced the ...

More than 2,500 years ago, a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was, in fact, the most essential player in its ultimate victory.

A riveting retelling of one of the great adventure stories of antiquity—when Greek philosopher-warrior Xenophon led a stranded band of the “Ten Thousand” mercenary soldiers on a treacherous escape from the Persians. 400 BC. The Persian prince Cyrus the Younger hires an army of Greek...

Ancient Classics User Guide is a comprehensive overview of the great works that have come down to us from antiquity. I have gathered the best sources and provided clear descriptions to allow readers to comfortably navigate these timeless cultural treasures. My approach to the Ancient Classics is to treat them as proven resources to enhance our understanding of Western history, philosophy and the arts. This book is designed to allow you to choose the books that match your interests, to follow the path of your own curiosity. The chapters are arranged in the order of the authors’ lives, ...

THE ANCIENT GREEK STAGE BROUGHT THRILLINGLY TO LIFE BY THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION, PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE WOMEN OF TROY AND THE ODYSSEY 'Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her life-long passion for the Classics'...

The book that invented history—retold for the modern reader. More than two thousand years ago, Herodotus of Halicarnassus set out to understand how the greatest empire of his age came to war with the fiercely independent cities of Greece. The result was The Histories: an extraordinary journey through war, politics, religion, geography, myth, custom, ambition, cruelty, courage, and the strange turns of human fortune. This edition from The Lyceum Press presents Herodotus in a radically compact, accessible prose retelling designed to preserve the movement, curiosity, and storytelling power ...

THE ANCIENT GREEK STAGE BROUGHT THRILLINGLY TO LIFE BY THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION, PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE WOMEN OF TROY AND THE ODYSSEY 'Mary Renault is a shining light' HILARY MANTEL 'Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent' MADELINE MILLER The...

The Persians: A Translation from Aeschylus There is no drama where the total multiplicity of horror in defeat is more cogently presented than in the Persians by Aeschylus, who fought in the Athenian triumph at Salamis, where the Persian fleet was rammed and wrecked.

Many who champion the idea of "Western Civilization" have only the loosest grasp of its history and of the Persian Wars, often portrayed as the heroic defense of "Western" values. Popular narratives frame these wars as East versus West, Greeks versus barbarians, with Greeks cast as defenders of...