Document Type : Book Review
Author
Tissaphernes Archaeological Research Group
Abstract
Keywords
Main Subjects
Introduction
Despite the plethora of books and articles addressing the Achaemenid Empire in recent years, this historical period still holds untapped research potential. Following the reign of Cyrus the Great, Cambyses II ascended to the throne of the Achaemenid Empire and continued to uphold the foundational principles of Cyrus’s rule, centered on the consolidation and expansion of the empire’s territorial boundaries. This article aims to critically assess the book titled Achaemenids in Egypt (based on archaeological evidence), authored by Shahin Mahyar and published by Jam-e Gol Publications in 2012, encompassing 126 pages.
The book’s initial chapter delves into the formation of the Achaemenid government, its political history, and ancient Egypt, including its geographical extent, deities, and Achaemenid interactions with Egypt. The second chapter introduces the archaeological findings in Egypt, the third chapter offers a summary of the book’s content, the fourth chapter comprises illustrations, and the work terminates with a bibliography.
The section pertaining to the Achaemenid Empire, divided into subheadings like formation, political history, significant events, and geographical expanse, is notably lacking in completeness. Given the book’s focus on the Achaemenid presence in Egypt, a comprehensive discussion of the Achaemenid monarchs involved in Egyptian affairs should have been explicitly addressed. However, this aspect has been overlooked, with only a few paragraphs dedicated to it. To enhance the book’s references and scholarly merit, the author could have drawn from prominent publications such as History of the Persian Empire by Olmstead (2001), and The Achaemenid Empire by Kurt (2000), and adopted an impartial and scholarly approach to Herodotus’s historical account in Histories (1960). Additionally, valuable sources in this field include Posener (1936), Roaf (1974), Mysliwiec (1997), and Jacobs (1994), among others, which could have enriched the book’s scholarly foundation.
Conclusion
This book offers an overview of the archaeology and history of the Achaemenid Empire in Egypt. A notable limitation of the reviewed book is its relatively limited utilization of scholarly sources authored by renowned experts in the field of Achaemenid studies. The author could have significantly strengthened their work by conducting a more in-depth examination of the Achaemenid presence in Egypt, drawing upon a broader array of well-established and contemporaneous sources. Additionally, a more rigorous and scientific approach to analyzing the archaeological evidence related to the Achaemenids in Egypt could have enhanced the book’s overall scholarly rigor and credibility.
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