A brilliant feat of resurrection (Tom Holland, author of Dominion), offering a stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy of ancient Persia

The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan.From thepalace-city of Persepolis,Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs reigned supreme for centuriesuntilthe conquests of Alexander of Macedonbrought the empire to aswift and unexpectedend inthe late 330s BCE.

InPersians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story ofthis dynasty and the world it ruled.Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art,and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the worlds first superpowerone built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance.This is the definitive history of theAchaemenid dynasty anditslegacies in modern-day Iran, a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world.