Product Description: A history of the Persian Empire and its rulers from c.620 to 424BC, based on a range of source material. Brosius ends this study with a general discussion of the organisation and administration of the Empire and its religious aspects...read more

Xerxes' exploits are famous, but what about Irdabama, a successful landowner who controlled her own wine and grain business? Or the ruthless queen Parysatis who murdered her enemy after a game of dice? By approaching the subject from a near eastern perspective, and thoroughly re-examining the Greek sources, This book is the first to reveal the fascinating picture of women and their economic and political importance in the Persian empire.