A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy of ancient Persia The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palacecity of Persepolis Cyrus the Great Darius Xerxes and their heirs reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the late 330s BCE. In Persians historian Lloyd LlewellynJones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions cuneiform tablets art and archaeology he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the worlds first superpowerone built despite its imperial ambition on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modernday Iran a book that completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world. show more