King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 BCE (Debates and Documents in Ancient History) 1st Edition by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (PDF)

Description

Explores Achaemenid kingship and argues for the centrality of the royal court in elite Persian societyThe first Persian Empire (559-331 BCE) was the biggest land empire the world had seen, and seated at the heart of its vast dominions, in the south of modern-day Iran, was the person of the Great King. Hidden behind the walls of his vast palace, and surrounded by the complex rituals of court ceremonial, the Persian monarch was undisputed master of his realm, a god-like figure of awe, majesty, and mystery.Yet the court of the Great King was no simple platform for meaningless theatrical display; at court, presentation mattered: nobles vied for position and prestige, and the royal family attempted to keep a tight grip on dynastic power – in spite of succession struggles, murders, and usurpations, for the court was also the centre of political decision-making and the source of cultural expression. Key features:Draws on rich Iranian and Classical sourcesExamines key issues such as royal ideology, court structure, ceremony and ritual, royal migrations, gender, hierarchy, architecture and space and cultural achievementsAccesses the rarefied but dangerous world of Persian palace lifeIncludes guides to further reading and web resources to encourage research

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review King and Court in Ancient Persia, a book that usefully provides numerous excerpts from ancient written sources as well as photographs and line drawings, would also earn a place in your luggage if travelling to Persepolis. — Shaun Sheehan, Dublin Review of BooksA very good and compact book for students. — M. N. Wieskopf, Berkeley, Ancient West and EastLlewellyn-Jones is a skilled philologist and has a special interest in ancient dress and gender studies. His study of the Achamenids is given extra depth by his knowledge of contemporary Iran. Llewllyn-Jones blends an easy mastery of widely disparate sources with a clear-cut, jargon-free prose style. — Peter Green, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, London Review of Books From the Inside Flap ‘This is a very important contribution not only to Achaemenid studies but also to the wider literature on royal courts in general. It is very well written and ably supported by source material which will render it invaluable for students and scholars alike.’ St John Simpson, Curator, The British Museum An exploration of monarchy and elite society at the political and cultural hub of the vast Persian Empire The Persians established the biggest land empire the world had seen, and seated at the heart of its vast dominions, in the south of modern-day Iran, was the person of the Achaemenid Great King, immortalised in Greek literature as a despotic tyrant. However, a new vision of Persian kingship is now emerging from Iranian and other Near Eastern sources – literary, visual, and archaeological – which shows the monarchs in a very different light. Inscriptions of Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs, present a propagandistic image of Persian rulers as liberators, peace-makers, valiant warriors, righteous god-fearing judges, and law-makers. Around about them, the kings established a lavish and sophisticated court, the centre of political decision-making and the hub of cultural achievements in which the image of monarchy was endorsed and advanced by an almost theatrical display of grandeur and power. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones explores the representation of Persian monarchy and the court of the Achaemenid Great Kings from the point of view of the ancient Iranians themselves (as well as other Near Eastern peoples) and through the sometimes distorted prism of Classical and Biblical sources. Key Features -Draws on rich Iranian and Classical sources and exposes new evidence and interpretations -Accesses the rarefied but dangerous world of Persian palace life -Includes a comprehensive timeline, further reading, and web resources to encourage research Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Cover image: Esther Denouncing Haman, Ernest Normand c. 1915. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com From the Back Cover ‘This is a very important contribution not only to Achaemenid studies but also to the wider literature on royal courts in general. It is very well written and ably supported by source material which will render it invaluable for students and scholars alike.’ St John Simpson, Curator, The British Museum An exploration of monarchy and elite society at the political and cultural hub of the vast Persian Empire The Persians established the biggest land empire the world had seen, and seated at the heart of its vast dominions, in the south of modern-day Iran, was the person of the Achaemenid Great King, immortalised in Greek literature as a despotic tyrant. However, a new vision of Persian kingship is now emerging from Iranian and other Near Eastern sources – literary, visual, and archaeological – which shows the monarchs in a very different light. Inscriptions of Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs, present a propagandistic image of Persian rulers as liberators, peace-makers, valiant warriors, righteous god-fearing judges, and law-makers. Around about them, the kings established a lavish and sophisticated court, the centre of political decision-making and the hub of cultural achievements in which the image of monarchy was endorsed and advanced by an almost theatrical display of grandeur and power. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones explores the representation of Persian monarchy and the court of the Achaemenid Great Kings from the point of view of the ancient Iranians themselves (as well as other Near Eastern peoples) and through the sometimes distorted prism of Classical and Biblical sources. Key Features • Draws on rich Iranian and Classical sources and exposes new evidence and interpretations • Accesses the rarefied but dangerous world of Persian palace life • Includes a comprehensive timeline, further reading, and web resources to encourage research Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Cover image: Esther Denouncing Haman, Ernest Normand c. 1915. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com About the Author Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University and a specialist in the histories and cultures of ancient Iran and Greece. He also works on dress and gender in antiquity and on the ancient world in popular culture, especially Hollywood cinema. He is the author of Designs on the Past: How Hollywood Created the Ancient World, Aphrodite’s Tortoise: The Veiled Woman of Ancient Greece, King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 BCE and Ctesias’ History of Persia. He is editor of Women’s Dress in the Ancient Greek World, Greek Notions of the Past in the Archaic and Classical Eras, Creating a Hellenistic World and The Hellenistic Court as well as numerous articles on Greek and Persian culture. He is the series editor of Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia and co-series editor of Screening Antiquity. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The book’s title bears “kings” and “court” of Persia covering the Achaemenid period (559-331 BCE). The Achaemenids actually established their kingdom in 550 BC after liberating themselves from two ruling powers: Assyrians and Medes. Medes were under the tutelage of Assyrians and they ruled over Persians.The book is incoherent because it uses fragments from numerous sources to create a picture without providing a general historical background on how the Persian kingdom began after Persians liberated themselves from Medes who liberated themselves from the tutelage of Assyrians or what happened to the last Achaemenian king, Darius III, after the Greek invasion. The description of the royal court is based on fragmented, non-specific narratives by classical historians mainly Herodotus, Ctesias, Plutarch, Quintus Curtius Rufus, Arrian, Polyaenus. At the end of the book, the author provides plates A, B, C. Each plate numbers (i.e., A1-20) and give the original texts from these authors(i.e Herodotus) pertaining to the description of the royal courts, ceremonies, wives, harems, status of slaves, and concubines.The author attempts to correct stereotypes by the classical authors but fails to substantiate them with evidence or facts. He admits that the Persian royal courts were a replica of Babylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian courts. However, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones does not describe the structure of the court administration or provide a detailed historical background on the rise and fall of the Achaemenid kingdom after the liberation of Persians from the rule of Assyrians and the events that led to the Greek invasion of Persia in 330 BCE.The following minimal background should have been included in the book so the reader could understand the Persian court and its structure and administration. Persia did not exist prior to 550 BC as a geographical entity or imperial power. Before this date, the Medes and Persians were under the rule of Assyrians. They emerged in the history records for the first time in the annals of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (858 BCE-824 BCE) when he campaigned against a revolt in the Zagros mountains in 835 BCE and crashed Parŝuwaŝ and received tributes from 27 other kings. Similarly, the name Persian appeared in the records of Assyrian king Tiglath pilaster III (744 BCE-727 BCE). The records of the Halulē Battle in 691 BCE on Tigris mention Persians. Furthermore, the Assyrian king-Sennacherib (704–681 BCE) defeated Elms, Anzans, Parsumaŝ.The Medes were subjected to Bactrians and Assyrians and lived under their rule until they liberated themselves in 647 BC and established an independent kingdom.The author also makes references to the religion of Zoroastrianism without providing a brief explanation of its background and gives the impression as if that religion started in Persia. Zoroastrianism was an adopted religion by the Persians. The religion began by Zoroaster in ancient Ariana (modern Afghanistan) in the region of Hindukush mountain ranges between Helmand and ancient Bactria (modern Balkh) ca 1800 BCE. The name Persia or Iran is not mentioned in Zoroaster’s hymns or Avesta. The name Iran was invented in 224 AD by the founder of the Sassanian dynasty(224 AD-651 AD) that was destroyed by the Arab invasion in 651 AD. The Aryans from that region migrated into India ca 1400 BCE and into Persia ca 1000 BCE.

⭐A little known period beautifully and intelligently depicted. Llewllyn-Jones is an outstanding and knowledgeable historian.

⭐Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is, without doubt, one of the most interesting, and most informative modern writers of Ancient Persia. His book, King and Court in Ancient Persia, is a very easy-to-follow and necessary companion to anybody studying Ancient Persia.

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