Sign-In
Cart
Ancient Persia: The Rise and Fall of the Persian Empire - From Cyrus the Great and Darius to Xerxes, Alexander the Great, and the Fall of Persepolis
Paperback
Series: Iranian History, Book 4
General Military HistoryIran HistoryPersian Gulf War (1991)
Publisher Price: $16.95
Publisher: Absorbing History
Published: Apr 29 2026
Pages: 184
Weight: 0.56
Height: 0.39 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
What if everything you know about ancient Persia came from its enemies?
For centuries, the story of the Persian Empire has been told by the Greeks - the very people Persia went to war with. The result is a civilization remembered mostly for Thermopylae, for a king who whipped the sea, for an army of faceless millions marching against a handful of brave Spartans.
That is not history. That is propaganda.
Ancient Persia tears away that narrative and replaces it with something far more extraordinary - the truth.
This is the story of Cyrus the Great, who built the largest empire the world had ever seen and then did something no conqueror before him had ever done: he let the conquered keep their gods, their languages, and their lives. It is the story of Darius I, who engineered an administrative system so sophisticated that it would not be matched for a thousand years. Of the Royal Road stretching 2,700 kilometers across three continents. Of Persepolis - a city so breathtaking that Alexander wept after he burned it to the ground.
This is the story of an empire that paid its workers, respected its subjects, and governed twenty nations without erasing a single one of them.
Inside this book you will discover:
- The real story of Cyrus the Great - conqueror, liberator, and author of what many call history's first declaration of human rights
- How Darius I built the world's first truly global administrative system - and why it still influences modern governance today
- The Achaemenid military machine - the legendary Immortals, the multinational army, and the strategy behind Persia's greatest campaigns
- The Persian Wars retold from the Persian side - what Thermopylae and Salamis actually meant to the empire that fought them
- Daily life inside the empire - the workers who built Persepolis, the women who held economic power, the priests, traders, and diplomats who kept it all running
- Zoroastrianism and the religious ideas that shaped not only Persia but Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- How the Achaemenid Empire ended - and how much of it quietly survived Alexander's conquest
- And much more...
Whether you are a lifelong history reader or picking up your first book on the ancient world, this is the book that finally gives Persia its due.
Meticulously researched, compellingly written, and built for readers who want real history - not myth - Ancient Persia delivers one of the greatest civilizations in human history exactly as it deserves to be told: on its own terms.
Also perfect for readers of: The Storm Before the Storm, SPQR, The Silk Roads, Rubicon, and The Fate of Rome.
✦ Scroll up and grab your copy today.
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Corwin, Samuel
100,000 Whys for Teens: Mind-Blowing Science Questions About Your Brain, Body, Love, Money, and the Universe - Explained
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
The Parthian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Eastern Rival, the Arsacid Dynasty, and the Roman-Parthian Wars
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
The Sasanian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Persia's Last Great Dynasty
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
The Safavid Empire: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Legacy of the Dynasty That Made Modern Iran
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
America 250: Fun Facts, Surprising Stories, and Patriotic Insights About Independence Day for the Semiquincentennial
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
America 250: Fun Facts, Surprising Stories, and Patriotic Insights About Independence Day for the Semiquincentennial
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
American History: The Untold Story of We the Many - 250 Years of the People Who Built a Nation
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
Modern Iran: From the Last Shah to the Women's Revolution - A Century of Oil, Upheaval, and Resistance
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
The Safavid Empire: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Legacy of the Dynasty That Made Modern Iran
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
100,000 Whys for Teens: Mind-Blowing Science Questions About Your Brain, Body, Love, Money, and the Universe - Explained
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
Medieval Iran: Sultans, Saints, and Steppe Lords from the Arab Conquest to the Timurid Renaissance
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
The Sasanian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Persia's Last Great Dynasty
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
The Persian Empire: From Cyrus the Great to Alexander - A Complete Overview of Ancient Persia
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
Cyrus the Great: The Rise of the Persian Empire and the Legacy of Ancient Persia's Greatest King
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
Cyrus the Great: The Rise of the Persian Empire and the Legacy of Ancient Persia's Greatest King
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
History of Russia: The Complete Story of Empire, Revolution, and Power from Ancient Rus to the Modern Age
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
History of Russia: The Complete Story of Empire, Revolution, and Power from Ancient Rus to the Modern Age
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
American History: The Untold Story of We the Many - 250 Years of the People Who Built a Nation
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
Medieval Iran: Sultans, Saints, and Steppe Lords from the Arab Conquest to the Timurid Renaissance
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
The Parthian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Eastern Rival, the Arsacid Dynasty, and the Roman-Parthian Wars
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
Modern Iran: From the Last Shah to the Women's Revolution - A Century of Oil, Upheaval, and Resistance
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
The Persian Empire: From Cyrus the Great to Alexander - A Complete Overview of Ancient Persia
Corwin, Samuel
Hardcover
Also in
Iran History
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation
Anderson, Scott
Hardcover
Going to Tehran: Why America Must Accept the Islamic Republic of Iran
Leverett, Hillary Mann
Leverett, Flynt
Paperback
For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran's Women-Led Uprising
Jamalpour, Fatemeh
Tabrizy, Nilo
Hardcover
Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies
Batmanglij, Najmieh
Hardcover
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation
Anderson, Scott
Paperback
The First Clash: The Miraculous Greek Victory at Marathon and Its Impact on Western Civilization
Lacey, James
Paperback
Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup
De Bellaigue, Christopher
Paperback
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation (Large Print Edition)
Anderson, Scott
Paperback
Guests of the Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam
Bowden, Mark
Paperback
How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare
Nasr, Vali
Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad
Bajoghli, Narges
Paperback
Target Tehran: How Mossad Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination - And Secret Diplomacy - To Realign the Middle East
Bob, Yonah Jeremy
Evyatar, Ilan
Paperback
Zoroastrianism: The Complete Guide on The Ancient Persian Religion of Mazdayasna and Zoroastrianism.
Hakimi, Ali
Paperback
Night of the Assassins: The Untold Story of Hitler's Plot to Kill Fdr, Churchill, and Stalin
Blum, Howard
Paperback
Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts (Large Print Edition)
O'Reilly, Bill
Dugard, Martin
Paperback
The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China
Beckwith, Christopher I.
Paperback
An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville
Aslan, Reza
Paperback
The Harmless Necessary Cat - A World War II Family Saga in Allied-Occupied Iran
Haddad, Sepehr
Paperback
Wars of Ambition: The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East
Ostovar, Afshon
Hardcover
Dutch-Persian Encounters: Merchants, Diplomats, Engineers, and Cultural Brokers, 1850-1920
Floor, Willem
Sajadi, Forough
Hardcover
Colorblind: Racial Thinking and Cultural Production in Modern Iran and the Diaspora
Motlagh, Amy
Paperback
Companions of the Sun: History and Mystery of Iranian Dance, Music & Ritual
Berenji Phd, Farima
Paperback
History of Persia: An Enthralling Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Persian Empire and the Life of Cyrus the Great
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
At the Court of the Shah: A Portuguese Account of Safavid Persia, 1603-1608
de Gouvea, Antonio
Hardcover
Belonging on Both Shores: Mobility, Migration, and the Bordering of the Persian Gulf
Stephenson, Lindsey R.
Hardcover
The Economic Modernisation of Iran, 1953-1968: Architects, Agents, and Unwitting Thwarters
Rahnema, Ali
Hardcover
Accelerant: Energy Infrastructures and the Natural World in Making Modern Iran
Movahedi-Lankarani, Ciruce A.
Paperback
Heartstrings of the Khyber: A Collection of Pashto Folktales
Laila, Shaherzaad
Salman, Komal
Paperback
Blind Owl: Authorized by the Sadegh Hedayat Foundation - First Translation Into English Based on the Bombay Edition
Hedayat, Sadegh
Hardcover
Tanker War in the Gulf: Operation Earnest Will, Diplomacy and Seapower in Practice
Duffy, Tom
Hardcover
Iran, Israel, and the Middle East Explained: Religion, Power, and the Roots of War
Kavan, Levi D.
Paperback
Crowning Anguish: Memoirs of a Persian Princess from the Harem to Modernity, 1884-1914
Taj Al-Saltaneh
Paperback
The Political History of Modern Iran: Revolution, Reaction and Transformation, 1905 to the Present
Rahnema, Ali
Paperback
Senses of Mourning: Moharram Performances in Shiʿi Iran from the Qajar to the Covid Era
Rahimi, Babak
Hardcover
Arabs, Turks, and Persians: Geopolitics and Ideology in the Greater Middle East
Cornell, Svante E.
Paperback
Iranian Exiles and Stalin's Great Terror: State Violence in the 1930s Soviet Union
Atabaki, Touraj
Ravandi-Fadai, Lana
Hardcover
Capitalism in Contemporary Iran: Capital Accumulation, State Formation and Geopolitics
Valadbaygi, Kayhan
Paperback
The Parthian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Eastern Rival, the Arsacid Dynasty, and the Roman-Parthian Wars
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
Sasanian Empire: A Captivating Guide to the Neo-Persian Empire that Ruled Before the Arab Conquest of Persia and the Rise of Islam
History, Captivating
Hardcover
America vs Iran: How Trump, Oil, Israel and 70 Years of Betrayal Led to War
Alive, History Brought
Hardcover
The Promise of Violence: Collective Memory and the Making of Revolutionaries in Iran
Saramifar, Younes
Hardcover
The Persians: An Enthralling Guide to the History of Persia and the Persian Empire
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
Colorblind: Racial Thinking and Cultural Production in Modern Iran and the Diaspora
Motlagh, Amy
Hardcover
The Lion and the Sun: Environmental History and the Formation of Modern Iran.
Gustafson, James M.
Hardcover
The Zurkhāneh and Its Milieu: A Study of Traditional Athletics in Iran
Rochard, Philippe
Paperback
Imperial Iran in the Eighteenth Century: Identity and State Formation Under Nader
Parsa, Mohammad Amir Hakimi
Hardcover
Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran
Pourshariati, Parvaneh
Paperback
The Fate of Third Worldism in the Middle East: Iran, Palestine and Beyond
Elling, Rasmus C.
Haugbolle, Sune
Hardcover
The Emergence of Iranian Nationalism: Race and the Politics of Dislocation
Zia-Ebrahimi, Reza
Paperback
Armies of Ancient Persia: From its Founding under the the Achaemenids to the Fall of the Sassanid Empire
Wozniak, Marek Adam
Paperback
A Safavid Armenian Monument: Architectural Hybridity at the Vank Cathedral in Isfahan
Yengimolki, Ahmad
Hardcover
Spiritual Messages from the Guardian Spirit of Ayatollah Khamenei and General Soleimani
Okawa, Ryuho
Paperback
The Rise of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Financial Empire: How the Supreme Leader and the IRGC Rob the People to Fund International Terror
U. S. Representative Office, Ncri-
Iran, National Council of Resistance of
Us, Ncri-
Hardcover
Iranische Geschichte: Ein spannender Leitfaden durch das alte Persien und die Vergangenheit des Iran
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
The Armenian Woman, Minoritarian Agency, and the Making of Iranian Modernity, 1860-1979
Berberian, Houri
Grigor, Talinn
Hardcover
Nuclear Discourse and State Legitimacy in Iran: How Iran Leverages Its Nuclear Program to Secure Domestic Support
Nourani, Hossein
Hardcover
Iran's Shadow Weapons: Covert Action, Intelligence Operations and Unconventional Warfare
Hackett, Jonathan W.
Paperback
Beneath The Red Line: Iran, Israel, and the Rise of a New Lethal Front (Large Print Edition)
Chowdhury, Fazle
Hardcover
The Sasanian Empire: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Persia's Last Great Dynasty
Corwin, Samuel
Paperback
Accelerant: Energy Infrastructures and the Natural World in Making Modern Iran
Movahedi-Lankarani, Ciruce A.
Hardcover
Nationalising Oil and Knowledge in Iran: Labour, Decolonisation and Colonial Modernity, 1933-51
Biglari, Mattin
Hardcover
Diplomatic Terrorism: Anatomy of Iran's State Terror
National Council of Resistance of Iran
Paperback