Ancient Persian

The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century - with its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641) - a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit.

A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor of ancient Persia and its enduring legacies for today's Iran. “A brilliant feat of resurrection.” -Tom Holland, author of Dominion The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of...

The World’s First Superpower Has Been Misunderstood for 2,000 Years. Almost everything you think you know about the Persian Empire was written by its enemies. For centuries, Greek historians portrayed Persia as a decadent empire ruled by weak kings and endless luxury. But behind that story stood one of history’s most sophisticated political systems—a superpower whose ideas still shape civilization today. Long before Rome rose to dominance, the Persians built a vast empire spanning three continents.

Ten thousand Greek soldiers, a thousand miles inside enemy territory, with their employer dead and their generals murdered. This is how they got home. In 401 BC a Persian prince named Cyrus hired the finest heavy infantry in the world and marched them east without telling them where they were going. Only deep into Asia did the Greeks learn the truth: they had been bought to take the throne of Persia from the man who held it, Cyrus's own brother. They met the king's army at Cunaxa, near Babylon. The Greeks charged, broke the wing in front of them, and did not lose a single man. Then word ...

The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.

PERSIANS is a definitive new history of the Persian Empire, the world's first superpower. The Great Kings of Persia ruled over the largest Empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the Steppes of Asia, and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. At the heart of the Empire was the fabled palace-city of...

The Echo of Ancient Civilizations, a Book by Bo Carson, is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking to walk in the path of the ancient world. With a masterful combination of scholarship and readability, retrace the rise and fall of civilizations from the earliest times to the Roman Empire. This book is a must-read for students of history, anthropology, and archaeology, as well as anyone with a passion for the rich tapestry of human culture. Whether you're looking to deepen your knowledge or explore a new area of study, "The Echo of Ancient Civilizations" is a great read. Dive into the ...

The Indo-Iranian Anahita is an ancient Persian Goddess, who became a Zoroastrian Yazata (or Angel) and is still part of contemporary Zoroastrianism. Described as a beautiful maiden, who is strong, tall and pure, she is depicted as wearing a mantle embroidered with gold and as holding the baresma (sacred plant) in her hand. She is the Goddess of all the waters upon the earth, her full title being Aredvi Sura Anahita which means moist, mighty and immaculate (pure), and she travels on her chariot pulled by four horses: Wind, Rain, Cloud and Sleet. Closely associated with the King's investiture...

Herodotus was a Greek historian born in Halicarnassus, subject at the time of the great Persian Empire. He lived in the fifth century BC (c. 484 - c. 425 BC), a contemporary of Socrates. He is often referred to as "The Father of History", a title originally conferred by Cicero. Herodotus was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition in order to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation, specifically by collecting his materials in a critical, systematic fashion and then arranging them into a chronological narrative.

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 ...

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...

From the Neolithic Period to today's economic crisis, via Ancient Athens, the Persian Wars, Alexander the Great, the Byzantine Empire and two world wars, this book narrates the history of Greece with all the significant events that shaped it.

Taken together, the civilizations of Sumer, Assyria, and Persia have helped form the modern makeup of Mesopotamia, western Asia, and the world. However, to really understand why things are the way they are, it’s important to break up this historical timeline and spend some time learning about each society. Only by doing this will you be able to fully appreciate the powerful impact these ancient peoples had on our modern world.

Alexander the Great crossed into Asia at the age of twenty-two with a kingdom behind him, the Persian Empire before him, and an ambition vast enough to redraw the known world. The Campaigns of Alexander is Arrian of Nicomedia’s enduring account of the man who shattered the power of Persia and carried the Macedonian army from the Hellespont to the edge of India. Drawing chiefly upon the lost histories of Ptolemy and Aristobulus—men who accompanied Alexander on his expedition—Arrian created the most disciplined and influential surviving narrative of the conquest. Across all seven books,...

The extraordinary history of the epic rivalry between the ancient world’s two great superpowers. “Magnificent.” —Spectator The Roman Empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity...

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.

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, ...

Cyrus the Great is dead. His sons are not. The empire he built with blood and brilliance now rests in hands that were never built to hold it — a son who inherited his father's throne but none of his restraint. Within the year, a corpse wears the crown, and no one can say for certain whose face is under it. Assassins strike in the dark. A cavalry officer named Darius crowns himself before the blood has dried — and now every province from Babylon to the Indus is asking the same question: is he a king, or just the last man standing? Rebellion answers rebellion. False kings rise from Media ...

This annotated edition includes: The complete Histories in nine books, unabridged, in the 1890 translation of G. C. Macaulay Macaulay's own scholarly apparatus — more than 1,400 notes on the Greek text, the manuscripts and the disputed readings A critical study of some 15,000 words, in eight parts, on the invention of inquiry and the ancient quarrel over Herodotus' honesty A biographical essay separating the little that is known about Herodotus from the much that is merely reported A note on the text recording the copy-text and the corrections made to it A live table of contents; the nine...

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.