Ancient Persia, in existence as a nation since the ninth century B.C., lasted well over one thousand years until it was conquered by the Arabs in the middle of the seventh century A.D. A sophisticated, inventive, and powerful people, The Persians were able to withstand even the Romans who had overcome almost all of the ancient world. In fact, Persia was able to endure as a nation for several centuries after Rome herself had fallen. To this day the glorious heritage of the country is alive in the folk tales and the art of the Persian people. In spite of many invasions and frequent periods of foreign rule in decline, the Persians have maintained their traditions and their language in a surprising continuity.
In disentangling the legendary strands of this remarkable culture, Professor Frye gives meaning to many of the fabulous names of antiquity—among them Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and Zoroaster—as he tells of the many contributors to that noble and impressive heritage. Ancient Persia was ruled by many dynasties who each left major contributions to the formation of the country's culture. Of these families who at one time controlled the land, he deals at the greatest length with the Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians from the sixth century B.C. to the sixth century A.D., but does not overlook the Medes or other earlier peoples and eras of the Iranian past. Continuing through the Arab conquest, he presents a brilliant account of the mutually enriching fusion of the ancient traditions of Iran into the culture of Islam during the seventh to the tenth centuries.
In this highly readable survey and stimulating narrative of Persia's past, Professor Frye takes the reader deep below the surface of most modern Persian history and shows, in detail, how one of the greatest, richest, and most fascinating civilizations of the ancient world came into being, flourished, and then merged with Islamic culture to become Iran as we know it today. New perspectives and the use of new sources make this unique interpretation of two thousand years of Iranian history a welcome contribution to a little-known field, while sixty-four pages of specially selected half-tone plates form a magnificent anthology of the masterpieces of Persian art.
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