Persian Period

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Persian Period PERSIAN PERIOD اﻟﻌﺼﺮ اﻟﻔﺎرﺳﻰ David Klotz EDITORS WILLEKE WENDRICH Editor-in-Chief University of California, Los Angeles JACCO DIELEMAN Editor University of California, Los Angeles ELIZABETH FROOD Editor University of Oxford WOLFRAM GRAJETZKI Area Editor Time and History University College London JOHN BAINES Senior Editorial Consultant University of Oxford Short Citation: Klotz, 2015, Persian Period. UEE. Full Citation: Klotz, David, 2015, Persian Period. In Wolfram Grajetzki and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002k45rq 8777 Version 1, September 2015 http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002k45rq PERSIAN PERIOD اﻟﻌﺼﺮ اﻟﻔﺎرﺳﻰ David Klotz Perserzeit Périodes perses In the last two centuries before the arrival of Alexander the Great, Persia invaded Egypt twice and administered it as a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Although the Ptolemies later demonized the Persians, and most traces of their rule were systematically removed, the history of this fascinating period can be reconstructed thanks to written sources from different languages (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Aramaic, Old Persian, Greek) and the multicultural archaeological record. These periods of foreign domination helped solidify Egypt's national identity during the intervening Late Period (Dynasties 28-30) and set the stage for subsequent centuries of Greek and Roman rule. ﻗﺒﻞ وﺻ������ﻮل اﻹﺳ������ﻜﻨﺪر اﻷﻛﺒﺮ وﺗﺤﺪﯾﺪا ﻓﻲ آﺧﺮ ﻗﺮﻧﯿﻦ، ﻏﺰت ﻓﺎرس ﻣﺼ������ﺮ ﻣﺮﺗﯿﻦ وﺗﻢ إدارﺗﮭﺎ ﻛﻮﻧﮭﺎ واﺣﺪة ﻣﻦ ﻣﻘﺎطﻌﺎت اﻹﻣﺒﺮاطﻮرﯾﺔ اﻷﺧﻤﯿﻨﯿﺔ. ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ اﻧﮫ ﻓﻰ وﻗﺖ ﻻﺣﻖ ﻗﺎم اﻟﺒﻄﺎﻟﻤﺔ ﺑﺘﺸ�����ﻮﯾﮫ ﺳ�����ﻤﻌﺔ اﻟﻔﺮس، وﻣﻌﻈﻢ آﺛﺎر ﺣﻜﻤﮭﻢ أزﯾﻠﺖ ﺑﺸ�����ﻜﻞ ﻣﻤﻨﮭﺞ، إن ﺗﺎرﯾﺦ ھﺬه اﻟﻔﺘﺮة اﻟﺮاﺋﻌﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻤﻜﻦ اﻋﺎدة ﺑﻨﺎؤه ﺑﻔﻀﻞ اﻟﻤﺼﺎدر اﻟﻤﻜﺘﻮﺑﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻐﺎت ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ (اﻟﮭﯿﺮوﻏﻠﯿﻔﯿﺔ، اﻟﺪﯾﻤﻮطﯿﻘﯿﺔ، اﻵراﻣﯿﺔ، اﻟﻔﺎرﺳ������ﯿﺔ اﻟﻘﺪﯾﻤﺔ، اﻟﯿﻮﻧﺎﻧﯿﺔ) وﺑﻔﻀ������ﻞ اﻟﺴ������ﺠﻼت اﻷﺛﺮﯾﺔ ﻣﺘﻌﺪدة اﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﺎت. ﺣﯿﺚ ﺳﺎﻋﺪت ھﺬه اﻟﻔﺘﺮات ﻣﻦ اﻟﮭﯿﻤﻨﺔ اﻷﺟﻨﺒﯿﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗﺮﺳﯿﺦ اﻟﮭﻮﯾﺔ اﻟﻮطﻨﯿﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺼ����ﺮ ﺧﻼل ﻓﺘﺮة اﻟﻌﺼ����ﺮ اﻟﻤﺘﺄﺧﺮ اﻻﺳ����ﺮات 28-30 ، وﻣﮭﺪت اﻟﻄﺮﯾﻖ ﻟﻌﺪة ﻗﺮون ﻻﺣﻘﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺤﻜﻢ اﻟﯿﻮﻧﺎﻧﻲ واﻟﺮوﻣﺎﻧﻲ. cholars divide the Persian Period Depuydt 2006). To distinguish from other in Egypt into two separate eras, the stages of Iranian history, this era is also called S First Domination (Dynasty 27, Achaemenid, named after the eponymous 525-402 BCE) and the brief Second founder of the dynasty, Achaemenes Domination that ended with the arrival of (Egyptian: jAxmjnS). In both periods, Egypt Alexander the Great (Dynasty 31, 343-332 was governed by a Persian satrap (Egyptian: BCE; for the problematic category of Dynasty xStrpn; Klinkott 2005). 31, see Lloyd 1988; for the chronology, see Persian Period, Klotz, UEE 2015 1 surrender after a heavy siege. Libya and Political History Cyrenaica quickly followed suit, and preemptively sent tribute to the Persian king. Dynasty 27 Cambyses 525-522 Cambyses humiliated Psammetichus III (Persian) Darius I 521-486 before the army in Memphis, and when the Xerxes I 486-466 latter king refused to accept the Persian Artaxerxes I 465-424 authority, he was condemned to death by Xerxes II 424 drinking bull’s blood (Pétigny 2010). Despite Sogdianos 424 his ephemeral reign, Psammetichus III Darius II 424-404 Artaxerxes II 404-402 completed a temple to Osiris in Karnak Dynasty 28 Amyrtaios 404-399 (Traunecker 2010) and was posthumously Dynasty 29 Nepherites I 399-393 commemorated by Udjahorresnet on his statue Psammuthis 393 (Posener 1936: 6), and thus he was more than Hakoris 393-380 a “nebulous figure” (Cruz-Uribe 2003: 46). The Nepherites II 380 Egyptian campaign began roughly in the winter Dynasty 30 Nectanebo I 380-363 of 526 BCE, and Cambyses was crowned by Teos 362-361 the summer of 525 BCE at the latest (Depuydt Nectanebo II 360-343 1996; von Beckerath 2002; Kahn 2007: 104- Second Artaxerxes III 343-338 105; Quack 2011). Persian Arses 338-336 Period Darius III 335-332 Cambyses then advanced with his army to th (Indigenous Khababash 337/6- Sais, capital of the preceding 26 Dynasty, ruler) where he disinterred the mummy of Amasis and abused his corpse (Herodotus III, 16). The Table 1. Chronology posthumous attacks upon Amasis are further evidenced by the systematic erasure of his Cambyses cartouches on both royal and private monuments throughout Egypt (fig. 1; Herodotus (III, 1-37; translation by Grene Bolshakov 2010; Klotz 2010: 131-32), and 1987) provides the most coherent account of possible attacks specifically targeting his the Persian invasion of Egypt, a theme temples (Coulon and Defernez 2004: 141-142; elaborated upon much later in the Coptic TAD A4.7-8, see Porten and Yardeni 1986- Cambyses Romance, and the Ethiopic Chronicle of 1999; Porten 1996: 142, 146; but cf. Burkard John Nikiou (cf. Schwartz 1949; Lloyd 1994; 1994b and 1995; von Pilgrim 2003). While Jansen-Winkeln 2002). Cambyses reputedly Amasis approved major temple construction attacked Egypt out of anger towards Amasis, projects throughout Egypt (Jélinková- who insulted Cyrus by sending Nitêtis, a Reymond 1957; Graefe 2011), none of his daughter of Apries and not his own child, to monuments stand today, but survive only as wed the Persian king (Herodotus III, 1-3; fragmentary blocks. Athenaeus XIII, 560d-f; Polyaenus VIII, 29; cf. Briant 2002: 49, 885; Ladynin 2006). Yet his foreign policy was a logical extension of his father’s campaigns, especially since Amasis had pledged Egypt into an alliance with Lydia, Babylon, and Sparta (Herodotus I, 177). With the logistical support of Arabian chiefs, Cambyses led his army through northern Sinai, from Gaza (Kadytis; Quaegebeur 1995) to Pelusium (Verreth 2006: 34-35; Kahn and Figure 1. Carefully erased cartouche of Amasis. Tammuz 2008). After a short battle, Amasis’s White Monastery Church, Sohag. heir, the short-lived Psammetichus III, and his mercenary army retreated to Memphis, only to Persian Period, Klotz, UEE 2015 2 Nonetheless, the damnatio memoriae did not last indigenous Egyptians: he received an long, as the statue of Udjahorresnet, carved impressive tomb in Abusir (Bareš 1999; under Darius I, once again mentions Amasis, Stammers 2009: 27-30)—work apparently and his son Henat served in Amasis’s began on this uncompleted sepulture in years posthumous royal cult (Cruz-Uribe 2003: 39). 41/42 of Amasis (Bareš 2002)—even though he may have been buried abroad (Verner 1989; It was this Udjahorresnet, high priest and against Bareš 1999: 79-86). Furthermore, overseer of maritime shipping (jmj-rA kbnwt)— almost two centuries later, a priest from Sais not a military admiral as is often claimed (cf. restored one of his statues in the Ptah temple Darnell 1992: 81-84)—under the reign of at Memphis specifically in order to “keep his Amasis, who halted the imminent destruction name alive,” perhaps to honor his rescue of the of Sais. On his oft-discussed statue in the Neith temple (Anthes 1965: 98-100; Bareš Vatican, Udjahorresnet recounts how he 1999: 41-42; Kuhrt 2007 a: 415-416; for the personally interceded with Cambyses during post-Persian renewal of another Saite his visit to Sais (Posener 1936: 1-26; Lloyd monument, see Jansen-Winkeln 1997). 1982; Baines 1996). Udjahorresnet explained the theological significance of Sais and the local After the interlude at Sais, Cambyses goddess Neith, provided the Great King with headed south to campaign against Nubia an Egyptian titulary (Posener 1936: 161; (Herodotus III, 17-25). Kahn (2007) recently Serrano Delgado 2001; Blöbaum 2006: 392), assumed Cambyses marched entirely on foot, and persuaded him to banish foreign soldiers but Herodotus only employed the neutral from the sacred precinct (Thiers 1995: 498- Greek verb polemein to describe this campaign. 500, 513-514). Remarkably, he even claims to While this expedition ended in disaster, he have initiated Cambyses into the local temple apparently captured at least part of Lower services (Posener 1936: 17; cf. Serrano Nubia (Herodotus III, 97), and official Delgado 2004): Achaemenid monuments record Kush in their list of subjects beginning with Darius I “His Majesty himself went to the temple of (Morkot 1991). The installation of Persian Neith, and kissed the ground for her Majesty, garrisons at Elephantine and Syene reflects the very greatly, like all kings have done. He made continued engagement with Egypt’s southern a great offering of all good things for Neith, the frontier during this period. However, the Mother of God, and the great gods within Sais, pottery from the Second Cataract fort at like all good kings have done. Doginarti, previously ascribed to the Saite- That his Majesty did this, was because I had Persian Period (Heidorn 1991, 1992), has more made him understand the greatness of her recently been dated to Dynasties 25-26 (Neith’s) Majesty: she is the very mother of Ra (Heidorn 2013), and thus no longer confirms himself!” Achaemenid domination south of Elephantine. Frustrated in Nubia, Cambyses returned To label Udjahorresnet a “collaborator” north, dispatching an expedition against the (e.g., Lloyd 1982; Huß 1994) may be unfair. As Oases, apparently via the desert roads linking a prominent member of the indigenous and Thebes to Kharga, only to perish in an learned elite, he was perhaps one of the few unexpected sandstorm (Herodotus III, 26). Egyptians capable of rescuing the temple of Here, Cambyses was maintaining the foreign Sais from the invading army (Wessetzky 1991; policies of the preceding Saite dynasty, who Bareš 1999: 31-43). Aside from recognizing had already begun endowing large settlements Cambyses as the new legitimate king—the and temples in the Egyptian Oases (Kuhlmann same way Egyptians had accepted the usurper 1988; Colin 1998; Labrique 2008; Kaper 2013; Amasis a few decades earlier—there is no Darnell et al. 2012: 16-20), while evidence that Udjahorresnet acted against his simultaneously forging diplomatic ties with the fellow Egyptians for personal gain. Instead, he nascent Hellenistic colony of Cyrene in enjoyed a respectable reputation among northern Libya (Chamoux 1953: 135-150; Persian Period, Klotz, UEE 2015 3 Leahy 1988: 191-192).
Recommended publications
  • Artaxerxes II
    Artaxerxes II John Shannahan BAncHist (Hons) (Macquarie University) Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University. May, 2015. ii Contents List of Illustrations v Abstract ix Declaration xi Acknowledgements xiii Abbreviations and Conventions xv Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 THE EARLY REIGN OF ARTAXERXES II The Birth of Artaxerxes to Cyrus’ Challenge 15 The Revolt of Cyrus 41 Observations on the Egyptians at Cunaxa 53 Royal Tactics at Cunaxa 61 The Repercussions of the Revolt 78 CHAPTER 2 399-390: COMBATING THE GREEKS Responses to Thibron, Dercylidas, and Agesilaus 87 The Role of Athens and the Persian Fleet 116 Evagoras the Opportunist and Carian Commanders 135 Artaxerxes’ First Invasion of Egypt: 392/1-390/89? 144 CHAPTER 3 389-380: THE KING’S PEACE AND CYPRUS The King’s Peace (387/6): Purpose and Influence 161 The Chronology of the 380s 172 CHAPTER 4 NUMISMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF SOLIDARITY Coinage in the Reign of Artaxerxes 197 The Baal/Figure in the Winged Disc Staters of Tiribazus 202 Catalogue 203 Date 212 Interpretation 214 Significance 223 Numismatic Iconography and Egyptian Independence 225 Four Comments on Achaemenid Motifs in 227 Philistian Coins iii The Figure in the Winged Disc in Samaria 232 The Pertinence of the Political Situation 241 CHAPTER 5 379-370: EGYPT Planning for the Second Invasion of Egypt 245 Pharnabazus’ Invasion of Egypt and Aftermath 259 CHAPTER 6 THE END OF THE REIGN Destabilisation in the West 267 The Nature of the Evidence 267 Summary of Current Analyses 268 Reconciliation 269 Court Intrigue and the End of Artaxerxes’ Reign 295 Conclusion: Artaxerxes the Diplomat 301 Bibliography 309 Dies 333 Issus 333 Mallus 335 Soli 337 Tarsus 338 Unknown 339 Figures 341 iv List of Illustrations MAP Map 1 Map of the Persian Empire xviii-xix Brosius, The Persians, 54-55 DIES Issus O1 Künker 174 (2010) 403 333 O2 Lanz 125 (2005) 426 333 O3 CNG 200 (2008) 63 333 O4 Künker 143 (2008) 233 333 R1 Babelon, Traité 2, pl.
    [Show full text]
  • The Satrap of Western Anatolia and the Greeks
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2017 The aS trap Of Western Anatolia And The Greeks Eyal Meyer University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons Recommended Citation Meyer, Eyal, "The aS trap Of Western Anatolia And The Greeks" (2017). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2473. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2473 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2473 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The aS trap Of Western Anatolia And The Greeks Abstract This dissertation explores the extent to which Persian policies in the western satrapies originated from the provincial capitals in the Anatolian periphery rather than from the royal centers in the Persian heartland in the fifth ec ntury BC. I begin by establishing that the Persian administrative apparatus was a product of a grand reform initiated by Darius I, which was aimed at producing a more uniform and centralized administrative infrastructure. In the following chapter I show that the provincial administration was embedded with chancellors, scribes, secretaries and military personnel of royal status and that the satrapies were periodically inspected by the Persian King or his loyal agents, which allowed to central authorities to monitory the provinces. In chapter three I delineate the extent of satrapal authority, responsibility and resources, and conclude that the satraps were supplied with considerable resources which enabled to fulfill the duties of their office. After the power dynamic between the Great Persian King and his provincial governors and the nature of the office of satrap has been analyzed, I begin a diachronic scrutiny of Greco-Persian interactions in the fifth century BC.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Ancient Egypt “Passionate, Erudite, Living Legend Lecturers
    “Pure intellectual stimulation that can be popped into Topic Subtopic the [audio or video player] anytime.” History Ancient History —Harvard Magazine The History of Ancient Egypt “Passionate, erudite, living legend lecturers. Academia’s best lecturers are being captured on tape.” —The Los Angeles Times The History “A serious force in American education.” —The Wall Street Journal of Ancient Egypt Course Guidebook Professor Bob Brier Long Island University Professor Bob Brier is an Egyptologist and Professor of Philosophy at the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University. He is renowned for his insights into ancient Egypt. He hosts The Learning Channel’s popular Great Egyptians series, and his research was the subject of the National Geographic television special Mr. Mummy. A dynamic instructor, Professor Brier has received Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Teaching Excellence. THE GREAT COURSES® Corporate Headquarters 4840 Westfields Boulevard, Suite 500 Chantilly, VA 20151-2299 Guidebook USA Phone: 1-800-832-2412 www.thegreatcourses.com Cover Image: © Hemera/Thinkstock. Course No. 350 © 1999 The Teaching Company. PB350A PUBLISHED BY: THE GREAT COURSES Corporate Headquarters 4840 Westfi elds Boulevard, Suite 500 Chantilly, Virginia 20151-2299 Phone: 1-800-TEACH-12 Fax: 703-378-3819 www.thegreatcourses.com Copyright © The Teaching Company, 1999 Printed in the United States of America This book is in copyright. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of The Teaching Company.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Achaemenid Persia on Fourth-Century and Early Hellenistic Greek Tyranny
    THE INFLUENCE OF ACHAEMENID PERSIA ON FOURTH-CENTURY AND EARLY HELLENISTIC GREEK TYRANNY Miles Lester-Pearson A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2015 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11826 This item is protected by original copyright The influence of Achaemenid Persia on fourth-century and early Hellenistic Greek tyranny Miles Lester-Pearson This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Submitted February 2015 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Miles Lester-Pearson, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 88,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September 2010 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in September 2011; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2010 and 2015. Date: Signature of Candidate: 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree.
    [Show full text]
  • Kings & Events of the Babylonian, Persian and Greek Dynasties
    KINGS AND EVENTS OF THE BABYLONIAN, PERSIAN, AND GREEK DYNASTIES 612 B.C. Nineveh falls to neo-Babylonian army (Nebuchadnezzar) 608 Pharaoh Necho II marched to Carchemesh to halt expansion of neo-Babylonian power Josiah, King of Judah, tries to stop him Death of Josiah and assumption of throne by his son, Jehoahaz Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, replaced Jehoahaz on the authority of Pharaoh Necho II within 3 months Palestine and Syria under Egyptian rule Josiah’s reforms dissipate 605 Nabopolassar sends troops to fight remaining Assyrian army and the Egyptians at Carchemesh Nebuchadnezzar chased them all the way to the plains of Palestine Nebuchadnezzar got word of the death of his father (Nabopolassar) so he returned to Babylon to receive the crown On the way back he takes Daniel and other members of the royal family into exile 605 - 538 Babylon in control of Palestine, 597; 10,000 exiled to Babylon 586 Jerusalem and the temple destroyed and large deportation 582 Because Jewish guerilla fighters killed Gedaliah another last large deportation occurred SUCCESSORS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR 562 - 560 Evil-Merodach released Jehoiakim (true Messianic line) from custody 560 - 556 Neriglissar 556 Labaski-Marduk reigned 556 - 539 Nabonidus: Spent most of the time building a temple to the mood god, Sin. This earned enmity of the priests of Marduk. Spent the rest of his time trying to put down revolts and stabilize the kingdom. He moved to Tema and left the affairs of state to his son, Belshazzar Belshazzar: Spent most of his time trying to restore order. Babylonia’s great threat was Media.
    [Show full text]
  • G:\Lists Periodicals\Periodical Lists B\BIFAO.Wpd
    Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale Past and present members of the staff of the Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Stelae, Reliefs and Paintings, especially R. L. B. Moss and E. W. Burney, have taken part in the analysis of this periodical and the preparation of this list at the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford This pdf version (situation on 14 July 2010): Jaromir Malek (Editor), Diana Magee, Elizabeth Fleming and Alison Hobby (Assistants to the Editor) Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 21-3 fig. 1 Meir. B.2. Ukh-hotep. iv.250(8)-(9) Top register, Beja herdsman. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 21-3 fig. 2 Meir. B.2. Ukh-hotep. iv.250(4)-(5) Lower part, Beja herdsman. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 21-3 fig. 3 Meir. B.2. Ukh-hotep. iv.250(8)-(9) III, Beja holding on to boat. Salmon in BIFAO i (1901), pl. opp. 72 El-Faiyûm. iv.96 Plan. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 88-9 Meir. Miscellaneous. Statues. iv.257 Fragment of statue of Ukh-hotep. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 89 [4] El-Qûs.îya. (Cusae) iv.258A Block of Djehutardais, probably Dyn. XXX. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 90 [top] Text El-Qûs.îya. Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Stelae, Reliefs and Paintings Griffith Institute, Sackler Library, 1 St John Street, Oxford OX1 2LG, United Kingdom [email protected] 2 iv.258 Fragment of lintel. Clédat in BIFAO i (1901), 92-3 Cartouches and texts Gebel Abû Fôda.
    [Show full text]
  • Seeing Oursel Es in the Xenoi – Plato's Warning to the Greeks
    Akropolis 3 (2019) 129-149 Marina Marren* Seeing Ourseles in the Xenoi – Plato’s Warning to the Greeks Abstract: In this essay about the story of Atlantis in Plato’s Timaeus, we focus on the crucial political message that the Atlantis tale contains. More precisely, we seek to respond to a question that may evade a completely satisfactory answer. The question is: Could Plato’s story of the rise and fall of Atlantis, in the Timaeus, be a warning tale to the Greeks of his own time? In order to root the inves- tigation prompted by this question in solid textual ground, we pay close attention to the framing of the Atlantis tale. In what follows, we analyze the series of substitutions (between mythical, ancient, and historical cities, i.e., Atlantis, Athens, and Sais) that Plato uses as he seeks to bring his readers to a point from which we can assess the politics of ancient Athens – a city that in Plato’s time stands on the brink of repeating the political blunders of the formerly glorious empire of the East. Introduction In the spirit of the tradition that takes Plato’s dialogues to be both works of literary genius and of philosophy, we pay careful attention to Plato’s narrative frames and to his choice of interlocutors in order to tease out the philosoph- ical and political recommendations that Plato has for his ancient readers and that his dialogues offer to us. To that end, in Section II, we focus on providing philosophically pertinent details related to the identity and ambitions of Critias IV who, on our interpretation, is the narrator of the Atlantis story.
    [Show full text]
  • Persian Royal Ancestry
    GRANHOLM GENEALOGY PERSIAN ROYAL ANCESTRY Achaemenid Dynasty from Greek mythical Perses, (705-550 BC) یشنماخه یهاشنهاش (Achaemenid Empire, (550-329 BC نايناساس (Sassanid Empire (224-c. 670 INTRODUCTION Persia, of which a large part was called Iran since 1935, has a well recorded history of our early royal ancestry. Two eras covered are here in two parts; the Achaemenid and Sassanian Empires, the first and last of the Pre-Islamic Persian dynasties. This ancestry begins with a connection of the Persian kings to the Greek mythology according to Plato. I have included these kind of connections between myth and history, the reader may decide if and where such a connection really takes place. Plato 428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. King or Shah Cyrus the Great established the first dynasty of Persia about 550 BC. A special list, “Byzantine Emperors” is inserted (at page 27) after the first part showing the lineage from early Egyptian rulers to Cyrus the Great and to the last king of that dynasty, Artaxerxes II, whose daughter Rodogune became a Queen of Armenia. Their descendants tie into our lineage listed in my books about our lineage from our Byzantine, Russia and Poland. The second begins with King Ardashir I, the 59th great grandfather, reigned during 226-241 and ens with the last one, King Yazdagird III, the 43rd great grandfather, reigned during 632 – 651. He married Maria, a Byzantine Princess, which ties into our Byzantine Ancestry.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Egyptian Chronology.Pdf
    Ancient Egyptian Chronology HANDBOOK OF ORIENTAL STUDIES SECTION ONE THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST Ancient Near East Editor-in-Chief W. H. van Soldt Editors G. Beckman • C. Leitz • B. A. Levine P. Michalowski • P. Miglus Middle East R. S. O’Fahey • C. H. M. Versteegh VOLUME EIGHTY-THREE Ancient Egyptian Chronology Edited by Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2006 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ancient Egyptian chronology / edited by Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton; with the assistance of Marianne Eaton-Krauss. p. cm. — (Handbook of Oriental studies. Section 1, The Near and Middle East ; v. 83) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-90-04-11385-5 ISBN-10: 90-04-11385-1 1. Egypt—History—To 332 B.C.—Chronology. 2. Chronology, Egyptian. 3. Egypt—Antiquities. I. Hornung, Erik. II. Krauss, Rolf. III. Warburton, David. IV. Eaton-Krauss, Marianne. DT83.A6564 2006 932.002'02—dc22 2006049915 ISSN 0169-9423 ISBN-10 90 04 11385 1 ISBN-13 978 90 04 11385 5 © Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyrus the Great As a “King of the City of Anshan”*
    ANTIGONI ZOURNATZI Cyrus the Great as a “King of the City of Anshan”* The Anshanite dynastic title of Cyrus the Great and current interpretations Since its discovery in the ruins of Babylon in 1879, the inscribed Cylinder of Cyrus the Great (fig. 1)1 has had a powerful impact on modern perceptions of the founder of the Persian empire. Composed following Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon in 539 BC and stressing above all his care for the Babylonian people and his acts of social and religious restoration, the Akkadian text of the Cylin- der occupies a central place in modern discussions of Cyrus’ imperial policy.2 This famous document is also at the heart of a lively scholarly controversy concerning the background of Cyrus’ dynastic line. The Persian monarch Darius I –who rose to the throne approximately a decade after the death of Cyrus the Great and who founded the ruling dynasty * This paper was initially presented in the First International Conference Iran and the Silk Road (National Museum of Iran, 12-14 February 2011). A pre-publication ver- sion was kindly hosted by Pierre Briant on Achemenet (Zournatzi 2011, prompting the similar reflections of Stronach 2013). The author wishes to express her appreciation to Daryoosh Akbarzadeh and the other organizers of the Tehran conference for the opportunity to participate in a meeting that opened up important new vistas on the complex interactions along the paths of the Silk Road, for their hospitality, as well as for their most gracious permission for both the preliminary and the present final publication. Thanks are equally due to Judith Lerner for a useful discussion concerning the possible wider currency of Cyrus’ Anshanite title outside the Babylonian domain, and to Michael Roaf, David Stronach, and the two reviewers of the article for helpful comments and bibliographical references.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Old Persian Prods Oktor Skjærvø
    An Introduction to Old Persian Prods Oktor Skjærvø Copyright © 2016 by Prods Oktor Skjærvø Please do not cite in print without the author’s permission. This Introduction may be distributed freely as a service to teachers and students of Old Iranian. In my experience, it can be taught as a one-term full course at 4 hrs/w. My thanks to all of my students and colleagues, who have actively noted typos, inconsistencies of presentation, etc. TABLE OF CONTENTS Select bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 9 Sigla and Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 12 Lesson 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Old Persian and old Iranian. .................................................................................................................... 13 Script. Origin. .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Script. Writing system. ........................................................................................................................... 14 The syllabary. .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Logograms. ............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sphinx Sphinx
    SPHINX SPHINX History of a Monument CHRISTIANE ZIVIE-COCHE translated from the French by DAVID LORTON Cornell University Press Ithaca & London Original French edition, Sphinx! Le Pen la Terreur: Histoire d'une Statue, copyright © 1997 by Editions Noesis, Paris. All Rights Reserved. English translation copyright © 2002 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First published 2002 by Cornell University Press Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Zivie-Coche, Christiane. Sphinx : history of a moument / Christiane Zivie-Coche ; translated from the French By David Lorton. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8014-3962-0 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Great Sphinx (Egypt)—History. I.Tide. DT62.S7 Z58 2002 932—dc2i 2002005494 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materi­ als include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further informa­ tion, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Cloth printing 10 987654321 TO YOU PIEDRA en la piedra, el hombre, donde estuvo? —Canto general, Pablo Neruda Contents Acknowledgments ix Translator's Note xi Chronology xiii Introduction I 1. Sphinx—Sphinxes 4 The Hybrid Nature of the Sphinx The Word Sphinx 2.
    [Show full text]