How will these resources help you?

The Persian empire was the cultural, scientific and technological centre of the world for 200 years – the world’s first superpower. In 560 BCE, Cyrus became king of a largely nomadic and little-known nation called the Persians. 30 years later, he had created the largest empire the world had yet seen. The empire eventually stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus valley. However, much of this success has been underplayed or ignored by western historians, who characterised Persia as backward, despotic and tyrannical. These resources will give you the material to recast this view, offering a full reassessment of current scholarship, and material that can be used in discussions of historiography as a concept.