"[The author] narrates the history of Persia from before the first empires, through their wars with East and West to the fall of the Sassanians. He also delves into the forgotten cultural heritage of the Persians, spread across the world through war and conquest, which, even after the fall of the Sassanians, continued to impact upon the Western world"--Publisher's description.

Donated by John M. McCaffrey (See Bookplate).

Before the Achaemenids -- Cyrus the Great and the early Achaemenids -- Darius the Great -- Xerxes and limits of empire -- The Achaemenid Empire from Artaxerxes I to the rise of Macedon -- Darius III and the fall of the empire -- The Seleucids and the rise of Parthians -- Parthia challenges Rome -- Parthia from Mark Antony to the Alan invasions -- Emperor Trajan's bid to destroy Parthia -- The decline and fall of Parthia -- The rise of the Sassanian Dynasty -- Shapur II: a new revival of Sassanian Persia -- The tumultuous Fifth Century -- The Kavad era -- Khosrow I, renaissance and revival -- The final glory and the decline of the empire -- Downfall of the Sassanians and the Islamic conquests -- The legacy of Persia after the Islamic conquests.