Dear all, A quick note about a new book about Cyrus the Great for general readers: ===================== Cyrus the Great: an Ancient Iranian King Touraj Daryaee (editor) Santa Monica: Afshar Publishing, 2013 ISBN: 978-0985498115 Paperback, 114 pages, 7.5x4.5x0.4 inches, list price: $12.99 Afshar: afsharpublishing/#!cyrus-the-great/cck9 Amazon: amazon/Cyrus-Great-Ancient-Iranian-King/dp/0985498110 ===================== Hot off the press, this small book is a handy collection of 5 articles about Cyrus the Great edited by Dr. Touraj Daryaee (Associate Director of Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture) and written by eminent Achaemenid scholars and specialists for the general readers, with a new and improved translation of the Cyrus Cylinder in English and Persian. The book is a part of an extensive cultural outreach program of lectures and events created and sponsored by the Farhang Foundation of Southern California serving the largest community of Iranian-Americans in the U.S. (to be announced in couple of weeks) to aptly commemorate the last stop of the 2013 Cyrus Cylinder Tour at the (very Roman) Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades (2 October-2 December). So this is a sneak peek at the coming attractions by their friends a little north of Los Angeles. Farhang is a Persian word that is hard to translate into English precisely. It roughly means the collective and cumulative Iranian arts, literature and culture throughout the history. According to my sister, it is an old metaphor for Iranian Civilization. I would have called the book: “When Cyrus conquered Rome”, to give it a more romantic twist and push it to the top of the best-seller list! All the same, it is fortunate that this book has become available at the beginning of the Cyrus Cylinder exhibition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (9 August-22 September) to supplement the other exhibit books. ================== Description by the publisher: “Cyrus is among the most impressive characters in the ancient world. From the Old Testament to Xenophon’s Cyropaedia, ancient texts have made him to an example of tolerance and just kingship. Hailing from a small principality in southwest Iran, he rapidly rose to power, creating a world empire. The five articles included here, along with the English and Persian translation of his cylinder, provide a scholarly and readable exposition of one of the great figures of antiquity. Cyrus the Great’s political career, monuments, religious practices and literary remains are all discussed in this concise and informative book.” Table of Contents: Forward Ali C. Razi, Farhang Foundation Introduction Touraj Daryaee. University of California, Irvine 1. Cyrus the Great Pierre Briant, Collège de France 2. Religion of Cyrus the Great Touraj Daryaee. University of California, Irvine 3. Pilgrimage to Pasargadae Ali Mousavi, Los Angeles County Museum of Art 4. The Form, Language and Contents of the Cyrus Cylinder Matthew W. Stolper, Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 5. Cyrus and Pasargadae David Stronach, University of California, Berkeley ---------- Translation of the Cyrus Cylinder English Translation Irving Finkel, The British Museum Persian Translation Shahrokh Razmjou, The British Museum & The University of Tehran ============ Acknowledgment: The media focus during the 2013 Cyrus Cylinder Museum Tour in U.S. (organized by the British Museum in partnership with the Iran Heritage Foundation and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of Smithsonian Institution) has understandably been on the handful of organizations and scholars connected with the ground-breaking tour. There is, however, a larger global community of Achaemenid scholars, specialists, students (and lesser beings like me) who live and breathe ancient Persian history—too many to mention here individually. The renaissance of academic interest in the Achaemenid history in the West was sparked by the late Dutch historian Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg (University of Groningen) who organized the famous Achaemenid History Workshops in 1980s. May her memory be a blessing. ======= Reminder: Professor Stronach’s lecture (New Light on the Cyrus Cylinder) at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is on 8 September. The lecture is free with museum admission, but those interested to attend must call +1-415-581-3701 to reserve a seat. Best, A.J.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 05:48:55 +0000
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