# Persian Empire



## fabio0069 (Mar 2, 2009)

I am currently conducting research into the ancient history of Persia for a book I am planning to write. I have managed to amass a reasonable amount of material for educational and inspirational purposes (primarily internet-based) but am still thirsty for more!

If anybody has some recommendations for websites, books/ebooks, magazines or documentaries (BBC, Discovery Channel, Nat Geo etc.) I would be most interested (and grateful)! My research is not just confined to text, I am also after as many visuals as possible, so images, photos, maps, drawings etc. are also in demand!

I have already raided Wikipedia for all its worth, including many of the linked websites. Any help I can get would really be most appreciated!

Peace


----------



## nj1 (Mar 2, 2009)

Have you read *Persian Fire* by *Tom Holland*? 
It's a damn fine read and also has some good pics also. 
Here's the fantastic fiction page on the book.

Persian Fire: The First World Empire, Battle for the West by Tom Holland


----------



## thaddeus6th (Mar 2, 2009)

Not sure if this'll have much on but it's an excellent free site of various texts:

Internet Sacred Text Archive Home

There are a few free classical books on there, so might be worth checking out.


----------



## fabio0069 (Mar 2, 2009)

Thanks nj1, that book sounds like it could be an excellent resource! I'll have to check it out.

And thanks to Thaddeus as well. I've had a quick look at the website and it looks like it may have some gems (it could also help me with one or two other projects!)

Appreciate your help, guys.


----------



## Patrick Mahon (Mar 3, 2009)

I'd echo the recommendation about Persian Fire - a brilliant book.

I've got a book from Osprey Publishing, called 'The Persian Army, 560-330BC', written by Nicholas Sekunda. It's not great, but it's got some useful information about the development of the Persian Army over that period, plus some OK colour plates in the middle, illustrating possible colour schemes for their uniforms, plus weapons etc.

Have you read Xenophon's Anabasis? That's well worth a read too.

Good luck with the book - I'd love to read it, in due course!


----------



## fabio0069 (Mar 3, 2009)

Appreciate the endorsement for _Persian Fire_ - it certainly does sound like a book well-worth purchasing! I'll check out _The Persian Army_ and Xenophon's _Anabasis _as I have not come across either in my travels.

Some excellent recommendations! Most appreciated and keep 'em coming folks!

Cheers Patrick


----------



## SpaceShip (Mar 4, 2009)

I can see you are from the UK fabi - if you are anywhere near the British Museum they have an extensive amount of Persian stuff, including freizes, murals, huge statues along with steles and the like. I spent a whole day in there once just visiting this section and reading up on Asherbanipal, Ashernaserpal etc. They also have some brilliant books in their bookshop on the Persian empire. Worth a visit. Apparently they were one of the first peoples to make statues that were lifelike and not "flat" as when they caught and killed their enemies they actually skinned them to see what they were made of and so were aware of sinew and muscle structure. Nice eh?


----------



## fabio0069 (Mar 4, 2009)

That's some great info Spaceship! I particularly like the gory bit... 

I've been meaning to get down to the British Museum for ages now (I keep promising my daughter I'll take her there). I'm an hour up the M1 so it is definitely on the cards soon.

Nice one mate


----------



## Dimentio (Jun 27, 2009)

fabio0069 said:


> I am currently conducting research into the ancient history of Persia for a book I am planning to write. I have managed to amass a reasonable amount of material for educational and inspirational purposes (primarily internet-based) but am still thirsty for more!
> 
> If anybody has some recommendations for websites, books/ebooks, magazines or documentaries (BBC, Discovery Channel, Nat Geo etc.) I would be most interested (and grateful)! My research is not just confined to text, I am also after as many visuals as possible, so images, photos, maps, drawings etc. are also in demand!
> 
> ...



Have you read Herodotus or Xenophon? Contemporary histories about how the people living in that era viewed the conditions in Persia.


----------



## Lacedaemonian (Jun 27, 2009)

Plutarch's Life of Alexander might be useful.


----------



## Dimentio (Jun 27, 2009)

Lacedaemonian said:


> Plutarch's Life of Alexander might be useful.



Well... I would say that it is not as useful as Herodotus.

Plutarch lived 450 years after Alexander's death.


----------



## Lacedaemonian (Jun 27, 2009)

Dimentio said:


> Well... I would say that it is not as useful as Herodotus.
> 
> Plutarch lived 450 years after Alexander's death.



And the benefit of reflection and hindsight.  I am sure there will be many useful books.


----------



## Dimentio (Jun 27, 2009)

Lacedaemonian said:


> And the benefit of reflection and hindsight.  I am sure there will be many useful books.



Romans did not write as very much about Persian culture. According to them, the Persians were barbarians.

I wonder if the OP's story is supposed to happen during the Achemenid era, the Arsacid era or the Sassanid era?


----------



## dreamhunter (Sep 29, 2009)

fabio0069 said:


> I am currently conducting research into the ancient history of Persia for a book I am planning to write. I have managed to amass a reasonable amount of material for educational and inspirational purposes (primarily internet-based) but am still thirsty for more!


Sounds interesting. How about you try holidayiran dot com.

Yes, it's a travel site. But it's got useful links to several other interesting sites related to ancient Iranian history.

I suggest that you don't just limit your research to Persia and Persians. I mean, the place had other more ancient kingdoms before Persia. Like Elam, Medea etc. There were like more than 2 dozen odd Iranian-type peoples in ancient Iran n the surrounding region, besides the Persians, who only came to power around 559 BC with Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great), when he defeated his grandfather n overlord, Astyages, the king of Medea.

Guys like the Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Hyrkanians, Massagetae, Elamites, Medes etc. etc. I believe the first 3 of those would still have their descendants among Southern, Eastern n Central Europeans even to this day.

2. Is it your 1st book then? So what's your book gonna be like then, sort of? Not trying to steal someone's idea, LOL. But I'm in the middle of one too. Maybe we could share our experiences.

3. Speaking of inspiration, perhaps you could have a glance thru this book titled "Tyrant: Storm of Arrows" by Christian Cameron. Quite fascinating. You get to read about Alexander getting beat, or set back, by a renegade Athenian commander n his wife, a Saekje (Scythian) princess. I always thought that Alex won every battle. Now I know better.


----------

