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Ancient Persia --- The Achaemenid Dynasty (550–330 B.C.)

Selected Excerpt on Persia

The Uruk Expansion: Cross Cultural Exchange in Early Mesopotamian Civilization
Guillermo Algaze in Current Anthropology Volume 30:5:1989 (571-608)

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Persepolis: Images of an Empire (Oriental Institute) Persepolis from the Air (1935-37)

2 Chronicles 36:22) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing saying: 23) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him and let him go up ...

Achaemenids : Royal dynasty of ancient Persia named after its
legendary founder Achaemenes (Old Persian: Hakhâmanišiya)

Persia was an ancient empire extending from the Indus to Thrace and from the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Persians were originally a Medic tribe which settled in Persia on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf. They were Aryans, their language belonging to the eastern division of the Indo-European group. One of their chiefs, Teispes, conquered Elam in the time of the decay of the Assyrian Empire and established himself in the district of Anzan. His descendants branched off into two lines, one line ruling in Anzan, while the other remained in Persia. Cyrus II, king of Anzan, finally united the divided power, conquered Media, Lydia and Babylonia and carried his arms into the far East. His son Cambyses added Egypt to the empire which however fell to pieces after his death. It was reconquered and thoroughly organized by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, whose dominions extended from India to the Danube ... (Easton Bible Dictionary)



Pages 1-2 in (1) A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire by M. A. Dandamaev (1989)

The Persian Expedition: Introduction

During the winter of 1930-31 the Oriental Institute organized a Persian Expedition to conduct excavations in the largely unexplored mountainous regions east and southeast of the Mesopotamian plain. James Henry Breasted requested and was granted a concession to excavate the remains of Persepolis, an Achaemenid royal administrative center in the province of Fars. Over an eight year period the Persian Expedition worked not only in the royal center of Persepolis but also at a number of sites that fell within a radius of 10 kilometers; (1) the two prehistoric mounds of Tall-e-Bakun and Tall-i-Bakun, (2) an Achaemenid tower and tombs of the Achaemenid kings at Naqš-i Rustam and (3) portions of the Sasanian city of Istakhr ...

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Academia

History of the Persian Empire (PDF) 670 Pages 23.4 MB (1948)

Oriental Institute PERSIA (Iran) Projects

The Comparative Stratigraphy of Early Iran (PDF) 96 Pages 4.62 MB (1942)

Persepolis and Ancient Iran : Catalog of Expedition Photographs

A New Inscription of Xerxes From Persepolis (PDF) 28 Pages 4.66 MB (1932)

See Also: Achaemenids (LIVIUS) / Achaemenid Empire (Wikpedia)

(1) A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire by M. A. Dandamaev (1989)

The History of the Ancient Near East Electronic Compendium