A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire, 2 Volume Set

A COMPANION TO THE ACHAEMENID PERSIAN EMPIRE

A comprehensive review of the political, cultural, social, economic and religious history of the Achaemenid Empire

Often called the first world empire, the Achaemenid Empire is rooted in older Near Eastern traditions. A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire offers a perspective in which the history of the empire is embedded in the preceding and subsequent epochs. In this way, the traditions that shaped the Achaemenid Empire become as visible as the powerful impact it had on further historical development. But the work does not only break new ground in this respect, but also in the fact that, in addition to written testimonies of all kinds, it also considers material tradition as an equal factor in historical reconstruction. This comprehensive two-volume set features contributions by internationally-recognized experts that offer balanced coverage of the whole of the empire from Anatolia and Egypt across western Asia to northern India and Central Asia.

Comprehensive in scope, the Companion provides readers with a panoramic view of the diversity, richness, and complexity of the Achaemenid Empire, dealing with all the many aspects of history, event history, administration, economy, society, communication, art, science and religion, illustrating the multifaceted nature of the first true empire.

A unique historical account presented in its multiregional dimensions, this important resource

• deals with many aspects of history, administration, economy, society, communication, art, science and religion
• it deals with topics that have only recently attracted interest such as court life, leisure activities, gender roles, and more
• examines a variety of available sources to consider those predecessors who influenced Achaemenid structure, ideology, and self-expression
• contains the study of Nachleben and the history of perception up to the present day
• offers a spectrum of opinions in disputed fields of research, such as the interpretation of the imagery of Achaemenid art, or questions of religion
• includes extensive bibliographies in each chapter for use as starting points for further research
• devotes special interest to the east of the empire, which is often neglected in comparison to the western territories

Part of the acclaimed Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World series, A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire is an indispensable work for students, instructors, and scholars of Persian and ancient world history, particularly the First Persian Empire.

Das Achämenidenreich wird häufig als das erste Weltreich bezeichnet. Die Ursprünge liegen allerdings vielmehr in den Traditionen des Nahen Ostens, von denen einige erst kürzlich intensiv neu bewertet wurden. Dieses Fachbuch nähert sich dem Fachgebiet in einzigartiger und innovativer Weise und beschäftigt sich mit den Vorläufern, aus denen das Archämenidenreich seine Struktur, Ideologie, Selbstdarstellung ableitete. Dabei werden Schriftstücke und archäologische Quellen ausgewertet. Betrachtet werden das Erbe des Großreichs, die zeitgenössische, spätere und sogar heutige Wahrnehmung.

A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire berücksichtigt sämtliche historische Quellen, auch archäologische Funde. Das Archämenidenreich wird vorrangig aus dem Blickwinkel seiner verschiedenen Zentren beleuchtet, wobei den vernachlässigten östlichen Gebieten ebenso viel Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird wie den westlichen Teilen des Reiches, die häufiger Gegenstand der Forschung sind. Dabei wird nicht nur die politische Geschichte berücksichtigt. Die soziale, wirtschaftliche und religiöse Geschichte, Institutionen, Kunst und Wissenschaften werden ebenfalls untersucht mit dem Ziel, ein vollständiges Bild des persischen Reiches zu zeichnen und seine nachhaltige Bedeutung stärker in den Vordergrund zu rücken.

Notes on Contributors xii

Section I Introduction 1
Bruno Jacobs and Robert Rollinger

Section II Geography and Demography

1 Geography and Climate 13
Daniel T. Potts

2 Demoscopy and Demography 27
Josef Wiesehöfer

3 Peoples and Languages 39
Jan Tavernier

4 Languages and Script 53
Adriano V. Rossi

5 Onomastics 61
Rüdiger Schmitt

Section III Sources

A Written Sources

6 The Inscriptions of the Achaemenids 75
Adriano V. Rossi

7 Elamite Sources 87
Matthew W. Stolper

8 Babylonian Sources 101
Michael Jursa

9 Aramaic Sources 117
Holger Gzella

10 Biblical Sources 133
Reinhard G. Kratz

11 Phoenician Sources 149
Josette Elayi

12 Egyptian Sources 155
Günter Vittmann

13 Lydian, Carian, and Lycian Sources 163
Ivo Hajnal

14 Greek and Latin Sources 169
Reinhold Bichler and Robert Rollinger

B Archeological Sources

15 Persia (including Khūzestān) 189
Rémy Boucharlat

16 Media 213
Bruno Jacobs and David Stronach

17 Babylonia and Assyria 221
Walter Kuntner and Sandra Heinsch

18 Syria 233
Astrid Nunn

19 Cyprus 245
Anna Cannavò

20 Egypt 259
Melanie Wasmuth

21 Asia Minor 277
Deniz Kaptan

22 Caucasus Region 297
Florian S. Knauss

23 The Empire’s Northeast 311
Claude Rapin

24 The Empire’s Southeast 325
Rémy Boucharlat

Section IV History

A Predecessors of the Persian Empire and Its Rise

25 The Median Dilemma 337
Robert Rollinger

26 Urartu 351
Mirjo Salvini

27 From Assurbanipal to Cambyses 365
Robert Rollinger

28 Elamite Traditions 389
Javier Álvarez‐Mon

29 The Great Conquests 403
Amélie Kuhrt

B From Gaumāta to Alexander

30 Imperial Crisis 417
Gundula Schwinghammer

31 The Establishment of the Achaemenid Empire: Darius I, Xerxes I, and Artaxerxes I 429
Robert Rollinger and Julian Degen

32 From Darius II to Darius III 457
Carsten Binder

33 The Conquest by Alexander 473
Krzysztof Nawotka

C Under Persian Rule

34 Pārsa and Ūja 485
Ali Mousavi and Touraj Daryaee

35 Media 495
Bruno Jacobs

36 Babylon 503
Robert Rollinger

37 The Persian Gulf 519
Daniel T. Potts

38 The Arabian World 529
David F. Graf and Arnulf Hausleiter

39 Egypt 553
Joachim F. Quack

40 Nubia 567
Angelika Lohwasser

41 The Cyrenaica 575
André Heller

42 The Levant 583
Oskar Kaelin

43 Asia Minor 595
Elspeth R.M. Dusinberre

44 Cyprus and the Mediterranean 613
Andreas Mehl

45 The Greek World 623
Mischa Meier

46 Macedonia 639
Michael Zahrnt

47 Thrace 649
Dilyana Boteva‐Boyanova

48 The Northern Black Sea 657
Gocha R. Tsetskhladze

49 The Caucasus Region 671
Wolfgang Messerschmidt

50 The Nomads of the Steppes 681
Bruno Jacobs and Birgit Gufler

51 The Iranian East 695
Sören Stark

52 India 711
Kai Ruffing

Section V Structures and Communication

53 Roads and Communication 719
Wouter F.M. Henkelman and Bruno Jacobs

54 The Interplay of Languages and Communication 737
Jean‐Jacques Glassner

55 Achaemenid Art – Art in the Achaemenid Empire 749
Bruno Jacobs

56 Seals and Sealing 769
Mark B. Garrison

57 Royal Coinage 793
Matthias Hoernes

58 Empire, Borders, and Ideology 815
Robert Rollinger

Bruno Jacobs is Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Basel.

Robert Rollinger is Professor of Ancient History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Innsbruck.

A comprehensive review of the political, cultural, social, economic and religious history of the Achaemenid Empire

Often called the first world empire, the Achaemenid Empire is rooted in older Near Eastern traditions. A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire offers a perspective in which the history of the empire is embedded in the preceding and subsequent epochs. In this way, the traditions that shaped the Achaemenid Empire become as visible as the powerful impact it had on further historical development. But the work does not only break new ground in this respect, but also in the fact that, in addition to written testimonies of all kinds, it also considers material tradition as an equal factor in historical reconstruction. This comprehensive two-volume set features contributions by internationally-recognized experts that offer balanced coverage of the whole of the empire from Anatolia and Egypt across western Asia to northern India and Central Asia.

Comprehensive in scope, the Companion provides readers with a panoramic view of the diversity, richness, and complexity of the Achaemenid Empire, dealing with all the many aspects of history, event history, administration, economy, society, communication, art, science and religion, illustrating the multifaceted nature of the first true empire.

A unique historical account presented in its multiregional dimensions, this important resource

• deals with many aspects of history, administration, economy, society, communication, art, science and religion
• it deals with topics that have only recently attracted interest such as court life, leisure activities, gender roles, and more
• examines a variety of available sources to consider those predecessors who influenced Achaemenid structure, ideology, and self-expression
• contains the study of Nachleben and the history of perception up to the present day
• offers a spectrum of opinions in disputed fields of research, such as the interpretation of the imagery of Achaemenid art, or questions of religion
• includes extensive bibliographies in each chapter for use as starting points for further research
• devotes special interest to the east of the empire, which is often neglected in comparison to the western territories

Part of the acclaimed Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World series, A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire is an indispensable work for students, instructors, and scholars of Persian and ancient world history, particularly the First Persian Empire.