Synopses & Reviews
The Achaemenid empire (ca. 550-330 B.C.) was the first world empire, founded by Cyrus II in Southwest Iran and lower Mesopotamia. Populated by peoples of different backgrounds, languages and cultures, the empire's challenge was to construct a system that would provide for the needs of all groups. Focusing on Sardis (a regional capital in western Anatolia), the book documents how the administration successfully annexed the region and its populace into the Persian Empire.
Review
"...this book brings together a diverse array of evidence and makes a significant contribution to the growing field of Achaemenid Anatolian studies, with an insightful and progressive theoretical approach." Journal of Field Archaelogy
Review
"...Aspects of Empire in Achaemenid Sardis is carefully written, methodologically well informed and thoughtfully argued." BMCR
Review
"...Dusinberre's book brings Sardis studies forward in a vital way." BMCR
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-314) and index.
Synopsis
The Achaemenid empire (ca. 550-330 B.C.) was the first world empire, founded by Cyrus II in southwest Iran and lower Mesopotamia. Populated by peoples of different backgrounds, languages and cultures, the challenge was to construct a flexible system that would provide for all groups. Focusing on Sardis, a regional capital in western Anatolia, the book documents how the administration successfully annexed the region and its populace into the Persian Empire. The book brings together current information on the Achaemenid, and is a significant contribution to the study of empires.
Synopsis
A revolutionary take on the Achaemenid Persian Empire and empire studies in general.
Synopsis
Sardis was the capital of Lydia in archaic times. In the mid-sixth century, it was conquered by the Persians, and Lydia was annexed into the expanding Achaemenid Persian Empire, of which Sardis was made the regional capital. Aspects of Empire in Achaemenid Sardis explores the ways in which this political transformation affected the local social structures, considering textual, archaeological and art historical information to gain a comprehensive picture of developments in this important city. The conclusions laid out here revolutionize our understanding of the Achaemenid Persian Empire and its workings in the western regions.
Synopsis
Sardis was the capital of Lydia. In the mid-sixth century, it was conquered by the Persians, and Lydia was annexed into the expanding Achaemenid Persian Empire. Aspects of Empire in Achaemenid Sardis uses textual, archaeological and art historical information to explore the physical and ideological effects of this political transformation on local social structures.
About the Author
ELSPETH R. M. DUSINBERRE is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics of the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Table of Contents
List of figures; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Sardis in the Achaemenid empire; 2. Textual sources and the effects of empire; 3. The urban structure of Achaemenid Sardis: monuments and meaning; 4. The urban structure of Achaemenid Sardis: sculpture and society; 5. Inscriptions: Sardians in their own words; 6. Mortuary evidence: dead and living societies; 7. Personal signifiers: Sealstones; 8. Achaemenid bowls: ceramic assemblages and the non-elite; 9. Conclusion: Imperialism and Achaemenid Sardis; Appendices; References; Index.