THE PERSIANS LOST CIVILIZATIONS The books in this series explore the rise and fall of the great civilizations and peoples of the ancient world. Each book considers not only their history but their art, culture and lasting legacy and asks why they remain important and relevant in our world today. Already published: The Indus Andrew Robinson The Persians Geoffrey Parker and Brenda Parker THE PERSIANS LOST CIVILIZATIONS GEOFFREY PARKER AND BRENDA PARKER REAKTION BOOKS This book is dedicated to our six grandchildren: Ben, Max, Zoe, Geoffrey, Maddy and Spike. Published by Reaktion Books Ltd Unit 32, Waterside 44–48 Wharf Road London N1 7UX, UK www.reaktionbooks.co.uk First published 2017 Copyright © Geoffrey Parker and Brenda Parker 2017 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers Page References in the Photo Acknowledgements and Index Match the Printed Edition of this Book. Printed and bound in China by 1010 Printing International Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library eISBN: 9781780236988 CONTENTS C HRONOLOGY P : L F REFACE OST AND OUND 1 O : T L P RIGINS HE AND AND THE EOPLE 2 T A D HE CHAEMENID YNASTY 3 T A A HE CHIEVEMENTS OF THE CHAEMENIDS 4 C G H L YRUS THE REAT IN ISTORY AND EGEND 5 P : C , T P ERSEPOLIS ITY HRONE AND OWER 6 T S Z : R E HUS PAKE ARATHUSTRA ELIGION AND MPIRE 7 P ARADISE GAINED 8 A H I LEXANDER OF MACEDON AND THE ELLENISTIC NTERLUDE 9 E R : T S MPIRE EVIVED HE ASANIDS 10 I P P I SLAMIC ERSIA AND ERSIAN SLAM 11 F P S : T P L C A ROM ERSEPOLIS TO AMARKAND HE ERSIAN EGACY IN ENTRAL SIA 12 P B : T P L I T ARADISE OF LISS HE ERSIAN EGACY IN NDIA FROM THE IMURIDS TO THE M UGHALS 13 C G C : T L D S F YRUS WITH OLDEN AVIAR HE AST YNASTY ALUTES THE IRST 14 F S A : T I R A L ROM HAHYAD TO ZADI HE SLAMIC EPUBLIC AND THE NCIENT EGACY 15 L T ? OST IN RANSLATION 16 T F S ? HE IRST UPERPOWER C : P P ONCLUSION OWER AND ARADISE REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INDEX CHRONOLOGY 587 BC Jerusalem falls to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews begins 550 BC Death of Cambyses I of Anshan and succession of Cyrus II 528 BC Buddhism founded by Siddhartha Gautama 521 BC Darius I succeeds Cyrus 457–429 BC Golden Age of Athens under Pericles 431 BC Beginning of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta 332 BC Alexander the Great founds Alexandria 331 BC Alexander the Great defeats Darius III and conquers Persian Empire 270 BC Conquest of Italy by Rome 221 BC Chin Shih Huang-ti establishes the Chinese Empire 146 BC Rome defeats and destroys Carthage AD 27 Founding of the Roman Empire c. AD 29 Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth 116 The Roman Emperor Trajan conquers Mesopotamia 226 Sasanid dynasty in Persia 313 The Roman emperor Constantine accepts Christianity 320 The Gupta dynasty unifies northern India 330 Constantinople, built on the site of Byzantium, becomes the capital of the Roman Empire 360 Hun invasion of Europe 395 Division of the Roman Empire between East and West 476 Barbarian conquest of the western Roman Empire 610 Beginning of the religion of Islam 642 The Arabs defeat the Persian army at the battle of Nehawand 771 Charlemagne (Charles the Great) becomes king of the Franks and establishes the state which will become known as the Holy Roman Empire 850 The Norseman Rurik becomes the ruler of Kiev 1096 The First Crusade and the establishment of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem 1206 Establishment of the sultanate of Delhi. Mongol chieftain Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan and begins his conquests. Establishment of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in China. The Mongols rule the country until 1368 1290 Founding of the Ottoman Empire 1368 Defeat of the Mongols in China and establishment of the Ming dynasty 1380 Tamerlane conquers Persia 1421 Beginning of the Portuguese explorations under Henry the Navigator 1453 Constantinople falls to the Ottomans and becomes their capital 1526 Founding of the Mughal dynasty in India 1707 Death of the emperor Aurangzeb and beginning of the disintegration of the Mughal Empire 1739 The Persian Nadir Shah invades India, sacks Delhi and takes the Peacock Throne back to Persia where it becomes the new symbol of the shahs 1757 Victory in the Battle of Plassey results in Britain becoming the major power in north India 1858 India’s First War of Independence (the Indian Mutiny) results in the British Crown 1858 India’s First War of Independence (the Indian Mutiny) results in the British Crown taking over the responsibilities of the East India Company 1869 Opening of the Suez Canal produces renewed British interest in the Middle East 1876 Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India. Britain is now the dominant power in southern Asia 1900 Boxer Rebellion in China and almost complete take over of the country by the great powers – Britain, Russia and Germany 1908 Founding of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company 1914–18 The First World War results in the fall of the German, Austrian, Russian and Ottoman empires which have dominated Europe and the Middle East during the nineteenth century. Britain and France become the dominant powers in the Middle East 1922 Establishment of the Soviet Union 1925 Reza Shah founds the Pahlavi dynasty in Persia 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which eventually leads to the Japanese conquest of much of China 1939–45 Second World War produces the two ‘superpowers’ – the United States and the Soviet Union. They dominate the world scene throughout most of the rest of the twentieth century 1943 Tehran is the first meeting place of the ‘Big Three’ – Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union 1950s–60s Those Middle Eastern states that had been reduced to quasi-colonial status by Britain and France gain their independence 1972 Great ceremonies in Iran in an attempt to resurrect the ancient empire 1980 Establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran followed by war with Iraq 1991 Fall of the Soviet Union 2001 Destruction of the World Trade Center in New York triggers the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. Invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq by American-led alliance of Western powers A frieze showing archers, from the palace of Darius I at Susa, excavated by Marcel Dieufalo, 1885–6.