| Revision as of 10:25, 20 September 2008 editDoug Weller (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Autopatrolled, Oversighters, Administrators264,085 edits →New research: Spatari is best known as an artist, see link on talk page← Previous edit | Revision as of 10:27, 20 September 2008 edit undoDoug Weller (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Autopatrolled, Oversighters, Administrators264,085 edits →"The Alexander Mystique": need to be clear this is Farrokh's opinion, not necessarily a factNext edit → | ||
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| ==="The Alexander Mystique"=== | ==="The Alexander Mystique"=== | ||
| "The Alexander Mystique", which is presented in the final chapter of the book, is the notion that the Iranians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks, ] in particular, and the Romans. This has led to the ignorance in much of western academia as to how and why the post-Alexandrian ] were overthrown by the second empire of Persia, the Parthians. Even less acknowledged, as a consequence of the Alexander Mystique, are the military defeats suffered by Roman armies under the leadership of historical figures such as ], ], ], and ]. | "The Alexander Mystique", which is presented in the final chapter of the book, is the notion that the Iranians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks, ] in particular, and the Romans. This has led, he suggests, to the ignorance in much of western academia as to how and why the post-Alexandrian ] were overthrown by the second empire of Persia, the Parthians. Even less acknowledged he believes, as a consequence of the Alexander Mystique, are the military defeats suffered by Roman armies under the leadership of historical figures such as ], ], ], and ]. | ||
| {{cquote|In the West, we suffer from what I call "The Alexander Mystique". We still believe that the Persians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks and Romans. This misconception is being exasperated by the slow replacement of Persian language and Iranian studies with Arabic at the university level. It’s happening here in a subtle way while in Iran there have been ideologues and theocrats who have been actively disparaging pre-Islamic Iran since the 1970s. Still, there is a growing interest within Iran, especially among the youth, in Iran’s ancient heritage.<ref>quoted after </ref>}} | {{cquote|In the West, we suffer from what I call "The Alexander Mystique". We still believe that the Persians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks and Romans. This misconception is being exasperated by the slow replacement of Persian language and Iranian studies with Arabic at the university level. It’s happening here in a subtle way while in Iran there have been ideologues and theocrats who have been actively disparaging pre-Islamic Iran since the 1970s. Still, there is a growing interest within Iran, especially among the youth, in Iran’s ancient heritage.<ref>quoted after </ref>}} | ||
Revision as of 10:27, 20 September 2008
| File:Shadows in the Desert- Ancient Persia at War.jpg | |
| Author | Kaveh Farrokh |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Publication date | April 24, 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 1846031087 |
Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War is a 2007 book on Iranian history by Kaveh Farrokh. It covers the history of early Iranian peoples as well as that of Iran from the Median Empire until the Islamic conquest of Persia.
Contents
Shadows in he Desert covers the three major empires of Persia before Islam (Achaemenids, Parthians, Sassanids). It tabulates a range of aspects of Iron Age Iranian culture, in the fields of arts, and architecture, technology, learning, administration, religion (mythology and theology), warfare (heavy cavalry and the associated Pahlavi culture of chivalry), communications, commerce and human rights.
The author attempts to provide a neutral view of Persia’s history, one that includes the weaknesses of Persia before the arrival of Islam. Mention is made for example, of the inequitable distribution of wealth seen between the nobility and the Magi on the one hand versus the peasant and ordinary populations on the other – and the historical consequences of these social dynamics.
New research
The author also presents research findings from other scholars. These include:
- Discoveries made in the origins of the Proto Indo-Europeans and their relationship to the invention of farming in what is now northern Iraq, northwest Iran, and eastern Anatolia. Authors cited by Farrokh include Colin Renfrew, Thomas V. Gamkrelidze, and V.V. Ivanov.
- The invention of horseback riding in the Ukraine, the relationship of this to the rise of the Kurgans or the “Aryans” of history. Farrokh cites the research of D.W. Anthony, D. Telegin, and D. Brown and their research into Ukraine’s heritage of horseback riding.
- The research of Italian artist Nik Spatari, whose works remain confined to Italian scholarship. Spatari has tabulated the impact of the architecture of pre-Islamic Persia upon Greece and Rome. Farrokh has cited Spatari’s findings for the first time in English-language publications.
"The Alexander Mystique"
"The Alexander Mystique", which is presented in the final chapter of the book, is the notion that the Iranians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks, Alexander the Great in particular, and the Romans. This has led, he suggests, to the ignorance in much of western academia as to how and why the post-Alexandrian Seleucids were overthrown by the second empire of Persia, the Parthians. Even less acknowledged he believes, as a consequence of the Alexander Mystique, are the military defeats suffered by Roman armies under the leadership of historical figures such as Mark Antony, Marcus Licinius Crassus, Valerian, and Julian the Apostate.
In the West, we suffer from what I call "The Alexander Mystique". We still believe that the Persians were permanently defeated and superseded by the Greeks and Romans. This misconception is being exasperated by the slow replacement of Persian language and Iranian studies with Arabic at the university level. It’s happening here in a subtle way while in Iran there have been ideologues and theocrats who have been actively disparaging pre-Islamic Iran since the 1970s. Still, there is a growing interest within Iran, especially among the youth, in Iran’s ancient heritage.
Structure
Shadows in the Desert: Persia at War is divided into three parts, each of which contain several sections.
- Foreword: The Mighty Persian Warriors by Richard Nelson Frye
- Introduction: Persia or Iran?
- Chronology
- Part 1: The Achaemenids
- 1 Before the Achaemenids
- 2 Cyrus the Great and the early Achaemenids
- 3 Darius the Great
- 4 Xerxes and Limits of Empire
- 5 The Achaemenid Empire from Artaxerxes I to the rise of Macedon
- 6 Darius III and the fall of the Empire
- Part 2: The Parthians
- 7 The Seleucids and the rise of the Parthians
- 8 Parthia challenges Rome
- 9 Parthia from Mark Antony to the Alan invasions
- 10 Emperor Trajan's bid to destroy Parthia
- 11 The decline and fall of Parthia
- Part 3: The Sassanians
- 12 The rise of the Sassanian Dynasty
- 13 Shapur II: a new revival of Sassanian Persia
- 14 The tumultuous Fifth Century
- 15 The Kavad era
- 16 Khosrow I, renaissance and revival
- 17 The final glory and the decline of the Empire
- 18 Downfall of the Sassanians and the Islamic conquests
- 19 The legacy of Persia after the Islamic conquests
- Endnotes
- Select bibliography
- Index
Reception
The book seems to have been well received by scholars. Farrokh’s book has received much attention in western media and academic circles. Farrokh has been interviewed on a number of media outlets such as The Leonard Lopate Show, We Talk Back, and The Tommy Schnurmacher Show.
The book has also received favorable reviews by notable scholars such as Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones of the Department of Classics at the University of Edinburgh, professor Nikoloz Kacharava (MD, PhD) of the Tbilisi State University, professor Patrick Hunt of the Department of Classics at Stanford University, and Richard Nelson Frye.
External links
References
- born September 24, 1962, Athens. Has a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of British Columbia (2001).
- quoted after Amapedia
- "Introducing 'Shadows in the Desert'" by Robert Gibbs
- Benedict Brogan's blog
- ^ Random House Academic Resources
- Farrokh, Kaveh. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War. Osprey Publishing, 2007. Foreword page 7.
- The Leonard Lopate Show of New York Public Radio, WYNC FM 93.9, August 20, 2007
- We Talk Back of Louisiana and Mississippi, KMLB-AM 1440, August 11, 2007
- The Tommy Schnurmacher Show in Montreal, Canada, CJAD AM 800, August 6, 2007
- Farrokh, Kaveh. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War. Osprey Publishing, 2007. Foreword page 7