Women in Ancient Persia, 559-331 BC

By: Maria Brosius

Write A Review

Paperback | 1 July 1998

At a Glance

Paperback
280 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20 x 12 x 2

Paperback

$76.95

or 4 interest-free payments of $19.24 with

Ships in 7 to 10 business days

The exploits of the Persian kings are famous, but who has heard of Irdabama, a formidable landowner who controlled a huge workforce and ran her own wine and grain business? This book is the first to examine the economic and political importance of women in the first Persian empire (559-331 BC). Governed by Achaemenid kings and their satraps, this vast realm stretched from Asia Minor to India. Ancient Greek writers on Persian history give us a glimpse of the influential role played by some individual women at these courts, but these are sporadic and hardly reliable accounts of a few colourful femme fatales in the royal family, designed to show up the scandalous machinations of barbarian women gaining political control and causing the decline and effeminacy of the Persian kings. This book is the first to demonstrate the true importance of not only royal but non-royal women in Persia, with the benefit of contemporary Persian and Babylonian sources. By approaching the subject from a Near Eastern perspective, and thoroughly re-examining the Greek sources, the author brings to life a rich and much more detailed picture of the role of women in ancient Persia.

Industry Reviews

`it can be used as a convenient source book from which others can derive generalizations from studying the sources that she has discussed' History Her meticulous examination of the estates and workgroups controlled by women and of the rations issued to female workers is documented by tables listing the primary source and giving other information `Brosius's book addresses an important gap in our knowledge of Mediterranean antiquity...the evidence on royal women does enable Brosius to make valuable contributions to some problems of Achaemenid history' Bryn Mawr Classical Review `a work that aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive discussion of the status of the women of Achaemenid Persia based on a combination of a critical reading of the Greek sources and a systematic survey of the Near Eastern sources, including the Persepolis Fortification texts ... is ... most welcome; and this is precisely what Maria Brosius' monograph sets out to do. In bringing together the Greek and Near Eastern evidence in this way ... B. has certainly helped to provide a basis for taking these points further, for constructing the fullest possible picture of Achaemenid history, women and all.' Rebecca Flemming, The Warburg Institute, Journal of Hellenic Studies `Brosius's meticulous collection of the sources will be very helpful to specialists for further historical interpretation.' Gender and History `'....I have learned much from it and know that other readers will do so too.'' Christopher Tuplin, The Classical Review

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Society & Culture Social Groups Gender Studies Gender Studies: Women and Girls Sociology & Anthropology Sociology Sociology & Customs & Traditions History General & World History Regional & National History Asian History

Cultural Studies Earliest Times to Present Day Ancient History to the Year 500 Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Abbreviations and Symbols	p. xiii
Weights and Measures	p. xviii
Note to the Reader	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
Introduction	p. 13
Titles for Royal Women	p. 13
Royal Marriage Alliances	p. 35
Introduction	p. 83
Royal Women and the Achaemenid Court	p. 83
Conclusion	p. 119
Women and the Economy of Achaemenid Persia	p. 123
Summary	p. 180
Conclusion	p. 183
Glossary	p. 201
List of Royal Marriage Alliances	p. 204
Bibliography	p. 207
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 245
General Index	p. 254
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Women in Ancient Persia, 559-331 BC

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Asian History

Resisting Erasure

Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine

Shattered Lands

Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia

Breakneck

China's Quest to Engineer the Future

Fly, Wild Swans

My Mother, Myself and China

Crusader Criminals

The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land

Captives and Companions

A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World

Hokusai Dot-to-Dot Puzzle Book

30 Full-color Prints and 30 Advanced Dot-to-Dot Puzzles for Brain Health and Relaxation

Plato Goes to China

The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance

Sword and Scimitar

Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West

A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Return to Sri Lanka

Japan's Manga Revolution

From Painted Scrolls to Comic Books 1680 -1920

The Jakarta Method

Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

The Last Embassy

The Dutch Mission of 1795 and the Forgotten History of Western Encounters with China

The Great Transformation

China's Road from Revolution to Reform

Apeirogon

a novel about Israel, Palestine and shared grief, nominated for the 2020 Booker Prize

My Palestine

An Impossible Exile

Japan Reborn

Race and Eugenics from Empire to Cold War

Delhi 360° | Shahjahanabad

Mapping the Panoramic Views of a Mughal City.

The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

At the Edge of Empire

A Family's Reckoning with China: FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2025

This product is categorised by