Reading Persia I-II By
 Li Ling
Publisher Sanlian Pub Date 2019 Pub Location None Isbn 0 Course(s)
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Description

Based mainly on the archaeological data and material culture of the Ancient Persia, this work examines the Achaemenid Empire from a variety of aspects and, whenever possible, compares it with early Chinese Empires in their political and historical terms. This work consists of two major parts, each of which comprises ten chapters in addition to two sections of discussion in the first part and two appendixes in the second. The first part addresses the history and geography of the Achaemenid Empire, including its succession of power, capital cities, provincial units, territory, transportation, writing, law, institution, economy, and religion. The second part deals with the archaeological and artistic materials related to the Achaemenid Empire, with a specific focus on royal palaces and mausoleums when examining carved stone motifs, paintings on glazed bricks, gold and silver wares as well as animal motifs in Persian art. Throughout this work it emphasizes the complexity of the geographical and political landscape of the Persian Empire, the special features of its unification of different, vast regions, and its connections with China in terms of the exchange of commodity, religion, and even botanical and zoological species. This work is the first of its kind in effectively introducing the Achaemenid Persia to and analyzing its different aspects in depth for Chinese readers. To present the ancient empire rather foreign to Chinese readers in a comprehensive manner, this works not only makes full use of both Iranian and Chinese archaeological materials, but also examines a wide range of scholarship of Iranian Studies. It is especially worth noting that the authorial notes included in the second part, while recording the making of this work by collecting materials all over the world, also put the whole study in our contemporary academic context.