In the last several decades, Iran has been on the minds of many around the world. As such, there has been renewed interest in the country and one of the better ways to understand the peoples of a nation is to look back at their history. Much of what a people are today is determined by how they were in the past. In some cases, this goes back a few hundred years while in others it goes back a few thousand. Such is the case with Iran. If we can understand how they were as Persians (the name changed in the late 1930s), it would provide insight as to how the nation thinks today.

The Persian empire was one of the great world empires and while not the first, was certainly an influence in the world during the times of the Greek and Egyptian empires. The history of the area begins around 10,000 BC with the first settlement of  peoples in the areas of western Iran and areas south and west of that. Eventually, the ndronovo culture became dominant followed by raids and conquest by the Assyrians and the Medians. It was around 550 BC that the first of the Acaemenids came to power and formed the first of the Persian empires.

The author has divided the book into three major sections. The first is the Achaemenids, followed by the Parthians and finally the Sassanians who were eventually defeated in 651AD and the area taken over by the Islamic caliphates.

All of this is superbly illustrated by the use of artifacts and photographs of the areas as they are today. In addition to the images and excellent maps, there are discussions of the way warfare was waged as well as the contributions of the societies in terms of arts and literature. We all owe a great deal to these ancient cultures as they have passed along much to succeeding generations. It is a book that once you start reading, will be drawn into it. It was one that I thoroughly enjoyed and I know that you will as well.

 May 2009

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