° L anguage 69 L itera tur e Seri es ED T N N GEN ERAL I OR C. T . O I O S P e r s i a n L i t e r a t u r a n i n t r o d u c t i o n by REUB EN EVY B A L , L . I ’ L ECT UR E R I N P E R S I A N “( TH E U N I V ER S I T Y O F O " F O RD L O N D O N O " F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S Hu mphrey Milfo rd O" FORD UNI VE RSI TY PRESS A ME N E H O US , E . C . 4 Lond on Edin b ur gh Glas gow New York Toronto Melb ourne Capetown B omb ay Calcutta Mad ras H U MP H R E Y M I L F O RD P UB L I SHE R T O THE vm va a sxr v P K 9 4 06 L 4 F I RST P U B LI SH ED 1 9 2 3 REP RI NT ED 1 2 £ 6 1 9 3 , 93 , 945 P R I N T E D I N G RE AT B RI T A I N C O N T E N T S F RO M CY RUS T HE GREAT T O T HE ISL A MI C CONQ UEST T HE P E RI O D O F T HE ‘AB B AS ID CA L I P HATE T H E M ONGO L DOMINATI ON MODERN PERS IA Li st of wo rks for further s tudy Alph abetical lis t of a ut ho rs The s ys tem of transliter ation empl oyed in the book i s as follo ws [not represented at the beginning of a word] . ca a n e indi tes lo g vow l. ‘ F rom Cy rus Me Grem fo the I sla mi c Conquest T H E peo ple who inh abit Iran bel o ng to the great Indo f and a a a s a s et mo Euro pean a mily , their n me Ir ni n be r y ‘ ’ o a l ogica l a ffinity wi th the a ppella t i n Arya n . The n me ‘ ’ Pers i a i s due to a n a ccident of hi sto ry tha t m ade the ’ o o f a s F ars s s o a pr vince P r or , the Greek Per i , pred min nt in Iran at the time when the a ttenti o n of the Greeks w a s a a o f a a s has a directed t o wa rd s it . The l ngu ge the Ir ni n m rked a ffinities o n the one h and with the l angu ages a kin to the cl a s s ica l tongues of Europe and o n the o ther h and with the a a o S a ns kritic gro up o f Indi an l a ngu ages . The Ir ni n gr up a o s a s a s s and s a of n ti n , n mely Per i n , Mede , other , h ve not a lways Occupied the l and s hi s to rica lly associ a ted with their s o s to a n a mes . They s eem in the c o ur e of their m igra ti n h ve s epa rated fro m the p a rent s t o ck s omewhere in the regi o n o f as a S ea and a s o a s o the C pi n , w ndered uthw rd thr ugh the c o untry of the Oxu s a nd the J a xa rtes to their m o re recent - o s o a s a o s . h me , where their hi t ry f ll into well m rked peri d Tho ugh there a re legends which ta lk o f an Ira ni a n as a a s as a s dyn ty of B ctri i n the dimme t p t , yet the e rlie t hi s t o rica l reference to an Ira nia n s tate d a tes fro m a bout the th B n middle of e ninth cent ury . C whe the territory o f the s a to a a a o o f ss a Mede beg n ttr ct the ttenti n the A yri n kings . Pers ia its elf s pra ng into pr o minence wi th the a ppea ra nce o f 8— s a who o 0 B . C . He Cyru the Gre t , reigned fr m 55 53 o an a s a s a verthrew the Medi dyn ty th t then held uprem cy , a s as a all i ts s m de him elf m ter of B bylon with dependencie , and a a as t i ts o founded the Ach emeni n dyn y , which took rigin 6 F R O M C Y R U S T H E G R E A T o of Fai s a nd a s o a a in the pr vince r , g ve it uch imp rt nce th t , s s s s oo o I a as i ts for the Greek , Per i t d for the wh le of r n , s s o r u l a tini z ed form Per i a d o e f s a t the pre sent d a y . s was s hi s s o n a s s who Cyru ucceeded by C mby e , under t o o k to enl a rge the empire left by hi s fa ther and to co nquer E was a o hi s a o gypt . H e rec lled fr m Egypt i n expediti n by a at o ne G a uma ta a a a rebellion home , led by , M gi n pre ’ who a ss a a o f s o tender, umed the ch r cter the king br ther Sm erd i s o a s s had a s f to a , wh m C mby e ye r be ore put de th f s s as a s o n a s u s pici o n o di l o ya lty. C a mbys e w h tening h o me to cru s h the u s urper when he died in Syri a o n t he wa 2 1 B . C . y , 5 to o wa s H sta s es who The next heir the thr ne y p , like s was a s a a s o o s Cyru , de cend nt Of Ach emene , the ep ny m u s o o f as H stas es was unwi l ance t r t he dyn ty . But y p either l ing or un a ble to a ssert hi s right to the thro ne u p o n which s a s s s was the u urper h d e ta blis hed him elf tro ngly . It there fo re left fo r hi s s o n D a riu s to di s l o dge the ps eudo r s S me d is a nd make hi m elf king. d a a s a to o 2 1 B . C . an D riu c me the thr ne in 5 , from th t 8 w s d a t e until hIS dea th in 4 5 B . C . as c o n tantly engaged in a a i s o f s o s s o r c mp gning , either in pur uit fre h c nque t , in o s a a m a s ubj ug a tin g rebelli o us pr vinces . Per i n liter ture y be a s Hi s o wn o s o f hi s ca m s a id to begin wi th D riu . rec rd p a igns h a ve s urvived in in s cripti o n s engraved in the O ld Pers i an cha ra cter upo n va ri o u s ro cks a nd o ne o r two s to ne s a s a nd os o a m o nument . The gre te t m t imp rt nt of the o i s a e o o o f B ahi stun in s cri pti n s engr v d u p n the m ight y r ck , ' which lies a bout thirty mile s ea s t o f Kirman s hah o n t he s s s o hi s a s Khurasan highwa y . D a riu et d wn in it nce try a nd s a nd s s a hi s x o s ti tle , de cribe in det il e pl it during the .