Persia - Ancient Iran and the Classical World

"This is a spectacular book, offering fascinating insights into three great ancient Persian empires and their interactions with Classical Greece and Rome. Groundbreaking essays by the leading scholars in the field open our eyes to how people lived and interacted, their motivations, and the outcomes of their choices. This catalogue provides detailed discussion of the hundreds of glorious artifacts brought together in the J. Paul Getty Museum's exhibition from museums across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The exhibition at the Getty Villa is beautifully reflected and augmented by this richly illustrated and documented volume, one that will delight and ignite the curiosity of specialists and the curious public alike. A magnificent book, worthy of the installation that inspired it!"--Elspeth R. M. Dusinberre, College Professor of Distinction, Classics Department, University of Colorado Boulder; "In Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World, leading experts offer an up-to-date, highly interesting overview of the great epochs Iran experienced under the Achaemenid, Arsacid, and Sasanian dynasties. These key periods in Iranian history become palpable to a substantial extent in the political and cultural encounter with classical Greece, the Seleucid kingdom, and the Roman Empire. The different perspectives with which the individual authors look at the history and material culture open up many new perspectives, even for the specialist. The catalogue's illustrations make the complexity of the tradition impressively visible." -- Dr. Bruno Jacobs, Professor Emeritus, University of Basel