Olmstead A.T. History of the Persian Empire

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948. — XXXII, 568 p.At the foot of the Mount of Mercy in southeastern Persia, Darius the Great built his capital, Persepolis — a symbol of Persian glory for two centuries. At its height the Achaemenid Empire, with its power centered in this city, reached from the Nile and Greece eastward to India. Dominating the major travel routes between East and West, it was the meeting ground of the great cultures of the ancient world. Here is the history of the crucial period from Cyrus’ extension of Persian rule to Greece to the burning of Persepolis itself by Alexander the Great. Out of a lifetime of study of the ancient Near East, Professor Olmstead has gathered previously unknown material into the story of the life, times, and thought of the Persians, told for the first time from the Persian rather than the traditional Greek point of view. In this story, the author shows how the science, literature, language, and myths of the ancients grew from the intermingling of many cultures and entered into the formation of our own civilization.Ancient History.
Iranian Origins.
Founder Cyrus.
Camp of the Persians.
Life among the Subject Peoples.
Cambyses and the Conquest of Egypt.
Prophet Zoroaster.
Usurper Darius.
A New Lawgiver.
From India to Europe.
Problems of the Greek Frontier.
The Three Capitals: Ecbatana, Babylon, and Susa.
Persepolis.
A Royal Huckster.
Paths of the Gods.
Xerxes as Crown Prince.
The Great King and His Armies.
Failure in Europe.
Delian League against Persia.
New Year's Day at Persepolis
Overtaxation and Its Results.
Triumphs through Diplomacy.
Oriental Tales and Romances.
Science without Theology.
Divide and Conquer.
Decision for Sparta.
Dictator to Greece.
The Last Egyptian Empire.
Brief Recovery.
The Nile Regained.
Science True and False.
Religions Dying and Living.
Fresh Breezes from the West.
Philip and the Start of the Crusade.
Alexander, Heir to the Crusade.
The Oriental God-King.
Persepolis — The Crusade Ends.
Topographical Index.
Name Index.
Subject Index.