Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Remembering The Persian Empire (Book Review), Elizabeth P. Baughan

Classical Studies Faculty Publications

Has the world forgotten the Persian empire? Three new publications approach this question from different angles. Despite what their titles imply, the British Museum's landmark 2005 exhibition, 'Forgotten Empire. The World of Ancient Persia', and catalogue of the same name have aimed to reclaim the Persian empire not from oblivion but rather from its reputation, founded upon Hellenocentric and Eurocentric biases, as a 'nest of despotism and tyranny', and to illuminate its 'true character' as a remarkably tolerant and cohesive imperial power that embraced cultural variation (pp. 6, 8). One could say that the Persian empire has not until now …