The empire of ancient Persia comprises three dynasties: the Achaemenid (559-330 BC), the Parthian (250 BC-AD 224), and the Sassanian (224-651). Many books about ancient Persia cover only the first of these three dynasties. But Splendors of Ancient Persia by Henri Stierlin covers all of them. It is not a history of ancient Persia, but a history of the art and architecture of ancient Persia, and it is divided into 11 chapters. Here is a brief summary:
Chapters 1-3 cover the
background to the Persian empire
Chapters 4-6 cover the
Achaemenid dynasty
Chapter 7 covers the
conquest of Alexander the Great and the ascent of the Parthian dynasty; this
chapter includes a section about “Antiochus I at Nemrud
Dag” (pp. 176-179) and a section about “The Hierothesion at Nemrud Dag” (pp. 182-189)
Chapter 8 covers the
ancient town Palmyra, located in present-day Syria
Chapter 9 covers the
ancient town Hatra, located in present-day Iraq
Chapters 10-11 cover
the Sassinian dynasty
The text is clear and
concise; readable and informative, and the illustrations are absolutely
fabulous; the quality is high, and the colours are good.
Many treasures of
ancient Persia survived until modern times. But sadly, some of them did not
survive the last 50 or 100 years. Stierlin mentions several cases in which
ancient sites and artifacts did not get the respect and care they deserve. In
the 1930s and 1940s, for instance, some sites were looted by local people looking
for easy money (pp. 54 and 63).
More recently, in the beginning of the 21st century, some sites and artifacts were destroyed or vandalized by religious fanatics (pp. 174-175, 217 and 227).
More recently, in the beginning of the 21st century, some sites and artifacts were destroyed or vandalized by religious fanatics (pp. 174-175, 217 and 227).
The book concludes
with an index, a glossary with technical terms and a chronological table, which
covers the period from 4000 BC to the end of the Sassanian dynasty in AD 651.
Unfortunately, there are some mistakes (or misprints) in the chronological
table. It says:
** Cyrus II rules 557-530. It should be 559-529
** Cambyses II rules 530-522. It should be 529-521
** Darius I rules 522-486.
It should be 521-486. The correct dates appear on page 10.
** Xerxes I rules 485-461. It should be 486-465. The correct dates appear on page 81 and page 158.
** The first triumvirate – Caesar, Crassus and Pompey - is
formed in 61 BC. It should be 60 BC
** Claudius rules 41-51. It should be 41-54
** Marcus Aurelius rules 61-180. It should be 161-180
** Constantine the Great rules 312-337. It should be 306-337
** Shapur II rules 310-379. It should be 309-379
** Khosrow I rules 531-578. It should be 531-579. The
correct dates appear on page 260 and on page 270
On page 110, in a discussion about the royal palace of
Persepolis, Stierlin says:
"The formula of the palace with two halls
was of Mesopotamian origin that spread widely and has lasted up to modern
times, with the two chambers or houses of present day governments…"
This statement is
highly dubious, for two reasons: In the first place, when we have two chambers, it is not a
government but a parliament with two chambers. Secondly, when we have a
parliament with two chambers, usually the lower chamber is rather democratic,
reflecting the views of the people, while the upper chamber is rather
undemocratic, a conservative guarantee, reflecting the views of the elite. The
system with two chambers or houses has hardly anything to do with ancient
Persia or Mesopotamia. In this case, I am afraid, Stierlin is stretching the
historical parallel too far.
The mistakes (or
misprints) mentioned above are unfortunate, and so is the statement about the
two chambers or houses. But in spite of these errors I have to say this is an
excellent book. If you want to study the art and architecture of ancient
Persia, this book is a must for you.
White Star, the
Italian-based publishing house, has published books about ancient
civilizations in Europe, for instance Greece and Rome; it has published books
about ancient civilizations in Latin America - the Aztecs, the Incas and the
Maya - and a magnificent book about ancient China - The
Eternal Army - about the terracotta warriors discovered near the mausoleum
of Qin Shi Huang Di, the first emperor of China.
These books are written by professional scholars and they are lavishly illustrated. Stierlin's book about ancient Persia follows this tradition and fits nicely with the other books published by this publishing house.
These books are written by professional scholars and they are lavishly illustrated. Stierlin's book about ancient Persia follows this tradition and fits nicely with the other books published by this publishing house.
If you want to see all
the ancient sites covered in this book, you will have to visit many countries:
Iran, Iraq, Syria etc. If you want to see all the ancient artifacts portrayed
in this book, you will have to visit many museums: the National Museum in
Tehran, the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris etc. But in this book
they are presented in a single place. Very convenient and very practical.
When you look at the
text and the illustrations, it is obvious that the author and the publisher
have tried to ensure that these two elements complement and support each other,
and they have succeeded very well.
One final observation:
what about the price? It is an expensive book, but when you consider what you
get – a hardcover version with informative text and fabulous illustrations in a
large format – I think you will find it is a bargain.
* * *
Henri Stierlin,
Splendors of Ancient Persia,
White Star Books, 2006,
Format 26 x 36 cm , 280 pages
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For more information about ancient Persia see my blog:
Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia
For more information about the ancient monument in Eastern Turkey see my blog:
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