Preface

During the last thirty years or so, the study of Achaemenid Persia has developed into a rigorous discipline and has become an integral aspect of ancient history research and teaching at colleges, universities, and other scholarly institutions throughout much of the world. In this book the reader will meet with a number of the influential scholars who have turned Achaemenid history into that esteemed area of study, and I pay homage to the wisdom and energy they have brought (and continue to bring) to this burgeoning subject. But we stand, I think, on the cusp of another exciting period in the on-going study of the Achaemenid world in which newer scholars, secure in the discipline’s scholarly recognition, are building on the foundations of their predecessors to engage with (and challenge) their findings, and advance diverse methodologies, themes, and subjects, which will only help to enhance our perceptions of both the ancient Persians themselves and of the sources through which we are obliged to find them.

This book does not attempt to offer a narrative or analytical account of the sweep of Achaemenid history, or to provide a study of any specific regions of the Empire, or a re-evaluation of the historical source materials; nor does it try to be exhaustive in its scope. A recent series of books and articles has already done these things - comprehensively (and no doubt more will follow). Pierre Briant’s mammoth 2002 study From Cyrus to Alexander. A History of the Persian Empire (a translation of his 1996 French original) has become - and deservedly so - a cornerstone of modern Achaemenid historiography and it shares pride of place alongside the on-going publications of the Achaemenid History Workshop and Amelie Kuhrt’s equally monumental and eminently useful 2007 publication The Persian Empire - an exhaustive sourcebook rich in commentary and detail and extensive in its choice of subject matter. This present study takes a far more polarised view of a central (but crucially important) element of Achaemenid culture, the royal court, and uses it as a focus upon which current trends in scholarly debate are projected.

There was a time when all ‘proper’ historians turned their critical and quizzical eyes to kings and courts, but court studies became unfashionable and by the 1970s courts were seen as moribund institutions and the study of kings and courtiers was thought of as old fashioned at best or, at worst, simply irrelevant. But modes change and, happily, studies of ancient courts are becoming fashionable again. A volume edited by Antony Spawforth, The Court and Court Society in Ancient Monarchies, went to press in 2007 (and has been released in a paperback edition too) and the American Journal of Philology has recently produced a special issue entitled ‘Classical Courts and Courtiers’ (vol. 132.1, 2011). In February 2011 the University of Edinburgh hosted a conference on the Hellenistic court and a publication is set to follow. In 2010 Bruno Jacobs and Robert Rollinger edited Der Achamenidenhof/ The Achaemenid Court, the first volume to be entirely dedicated to this subject. Here a rich collection of historical, archaeological, art-historical, and literary studies by leading experts in the Achaemenid field has already improved our general understanding of the structures and functions of the court and have whetted the appetite for future research. Kings are fashionable again in scholarship. Court studies are back too. The time is right, I suggest, to introduce less specialist readers to the rich and rewarding subject of king and court in ancient Persia.

Royal courts played a central role in ancient Near Eastern politics and culture, and it is not surprising that descriptions of courts infiltrate the literatures of many ancient societies. For its part, the Persian court - the ancient court par excellence - was so significant that it appeared in the writings and artworks of peoples who lived far outside the Persian heartland: the Greeks were fascinated by the structure, workings, and rationale of the Achaemenid royal court, so much so that, after the fall of the Empire, the court of the Great Kings became a familiar locale of Greek (and Roman) fairy tales and romances, and thereby maintained a presence in the western imagination. The Persian court was also a template for the numerous authors of the Hebrew Bible who, during the Exile and Second Temple periods, used it to create their own images of Hebrew monarchic splendour. For the most part, the legendary courts of David and Solomon were modelled on the Achaemenid archetype. With this in mind, it is worth noting that once the Queen of Sheba had seen the splendour of Solomon’s (‘Persian’) court, ‘his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers’, the Biblical author makes the point of telling us that ‘there was no more spirit in her’ (1 Kings 10: 4-7); in other words, she was flabbergasted. It is easy to understand why the Persian royal court commanded such feelings of awe, for it was a symbol of the king’s authority, a physical manifestation of his god-given rulership. It is this vivid interplay of king and court which this book will highlight.

The book falls into two parts. Part I explores some of the central themes of monarchy and court society in ancient Persia and exposes some debates therein. Part II proffers a (limited but carefully chosen) selection of evidence: Classical and Near Eastern texts, archaeology, and material culture. References to these sources are cited in Part I in bold type, thus: B7. This refers to B7 in Part II, and you will find the exact page number for it in the contents list: ‘B7. The creation of Darius’ palace at Susa’. It is appropriate to consult the texts and images which make up Part II as they are encountered in Part I of the book.

Greek and Latin translations are largely my own or else are adapted and amended from the Loeb Library translations of the originals. I make no claim for the translations of other (Near Eastern) texts and I acknowledge the authority of others in these matters (for comments see ‘Further Reading’ in Part II and also on their citation in the ‘Note on Abbreviations’, p. xvii).

It seems that hardly a week passes by when Iran is not in the news - usually for negative reasons. Iran is vilified in the western press and other media as a harbinger of terrorism, the home of fundamentalism, or as the epicentre of the threat to world peace. This is the popular journalistic (and jingoistic) image of Iran. It bypasses the rich cultural heritage of the country, its deep and proud history and the diversity of its social institutions. Western media also do an injustice to the people of Iran, who are, in my experience of travelling to that country over many years, the warmest, most welcoming, and most cultured of peoples. They are intensely aware of - and rightly proud of - their Achaemenid heritage. I accepted the request to write this book shortly after returning from an extended visit to Iran, during which I undertook, for the large part, to follow in the Great King’s migration from Ecbatana (modern Hamadan) to Persepolis (near the beautiful city of Shiraz), via Susa. The welcome and enthusiasm I encountered on my mini ‘royal progress’ encouraged me to write this book and so I want to thank my Iranian friends and fellow travellers: kheily mamnoon va behtarin arezoohayemara bepazir.

In preparing this book, I have encountered many people who have been helpful to me. go to Eran Almagor, Sandra Bingham,

Raphaela Dubreuil, Keyvan Mahmoudi, Silvia Milanezi, Janett Morgan, Ricardo Pinto, St John Simpson, Emma Stafford, Shaun Tougher, Stephanie Winder, and Mark Woolmer. My colleagues in Classics at the University of Edinburgh (especially Ulrike Roth) have cut me the slack when I needed it most and I am grateful for their camaraderie. Students on several of my courses (Ancient Persia: the Achaemenid Dynasty; Crowns and Concubines: Court Society in the Ancient World, and Persica: Greek Historians and the Persian Empire) continue to motivate me. I want to mention in particular Chloe Anstis, Fran Armour, Leila Hedayat, Camilla Higgins, Elina Larravide, and Samantha Walker. Kourosh Afhami, Wolfgang Gambke, and the team at Persepolis 3d. com have kindly permitted me to use some of their remarkable and beautiful images; I am most grateful to them for their generous cooperation. Ralph Footring has been a thorough, communicative, and friendly copy-editor and I am deeply grateful for his keen insights. Last, but in no way least, Carol MacDonald at Edinburgh University Press has been a supportive and encouraging presence throughout the time this book has been in creation and I thank her warmly and sincerely.

My greatest debt of gratitude though is to David Pineau. I dedicate this book to him.

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Edinburgh, May 2012