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brown full cloth hardcover 8vo. (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. fine cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. old bookplate inside front cover under dustwrapper flap with old name erased, otherwise contents free of markings. price clipped dustwrapper in fine cond. not worn or torn. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers. no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings. first edition. first printing (Pu1967 & nap). 243p. b&w maps, plans, photos & illustrations. genealogical table of parthian kings. bibliography. notes on the plates. index. world history. archaeology. art history. middle east history. history of iran. history of persia ~ Long a mysterious and elusive people, the Parthians left behind them a scanty record in Greek and Roman documents and in Oriental legend. Yet for nearly half a millennium they ruled an empire in the Iranian regions that ultimately both linked and rivaled the Roman and Chinese empires, and their armies more than once defeated in battle the military might of Rome. Dramatic archaeological discoveries have recently thrown a flood of new light on the origins, history, and civilization of this people. The author explains who the Parthians were, tells how they rode south from the central Asian steppes to inherit the eastern portion of the enormous empire of Alexander the Great from his Seleucid Greek successors, and how expansion westward brought contact with Rome, then conflict ~ from time to time violently renewed. He presents varied aspects of Parthian life: the peculiar system of government, as far as it is known at present, the language, and the law, coinage, taxation, and other aspects of official life; he discusses the unsatisfactory basis of Parthian economics, the energetic pastimes and daily life of the people, the various and sometimes repellent religious and funerary customs and the questions of the extent to which Zoroastrianism was practiced. The Parthians were the first Orientals to feel the full impact of Greek civilization. The chapters on Parthian architecture and art show how characteristic styles were developed, out of which emerged elements that even today influence Iranian arts and crafts. Finally, after sketching the legendary fall of the Parthian monarchy, the author attempts an assessment of the overall achievement of this colorful people. Seller Inventory # 2062404
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