Iran is one of the world’s oldest societies, with a rich cultural heritage, but very few universities offer courses in ancient Persian history, so this is a unique opportunity to study the history of Iran during the Achaemenid period. The module will focus on Persian history of the period 559–331 BCE, a time when Iran ruled the biggest land empire the world had ever seen, occupying an area that stretched from Ethiopia to Afghanistan. The module will concentrate on the reigns of the Achaemenid monarchs (including Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great and Xerxes), examining their political, socio-cultural and military achievements and life at court.. Other themes will include the language of the Persians, life in the provinces, women in Persian society, Persian art and architecture, and religion. The course will engage with textual and visual materials, and will evaluate Iranian, Near Eastern, Egyptian and Greek sources as evidence for the period. The course will also explore modern Iranian conceptions of its pre-Islamic past and the use made of Achaemenid Persia in modern western thought.

• demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the history and culture of ancient Iran.
• demonstrate a knowledge of and ability to deal with diverse primary source materials and to evaluate them appropriately.
• demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of modern theories and debates relating to the history, historiography, archaeology and material cultures of pre-Islamic Iran, and an ability to evaluate the evidence with precision in relation to these debates.
• demonstrate a knowledge of and an ability to deal with contemporary issues in Iranian perceptions of the past.
• discuss these issues in written work and in classroom discussion with coherent and logical arguments, clearly, coherently and correctly expressed.

10 2-hour teaching sessions; 1 museum trip; independent study; 1 coursework feedback tutorial; 1 revision session

The teaching sessions offer a combination of traditional lecturing, class discussions, and other exercises. Lectures present an outline of the evidence for Persian history and culture, and provide a framework for the interpretation of that evidence by introducing the major approaches and debates that have shaped research into the subject. Slides and, where appropriate, handouts are used to illustrate the material discussed.

The lectures are a useful starting point for further discussion and exercises taking place during the teaching sessions. This provides an opportunity for students to analyse and discuss key issues and topics in the module, and to get feedback on their ideas from the tutor and their peers. Handouts with material for study and suggestions for preparatory reading will be circulated prior to the sessions.

The field trip to visit a museum collection allows students to observe material evidence for the study of ancient Persia in a museum setting.

Independent study enables students to familiarise themselves with the primary source material and the most important modern approaches and debates on the subject. A reading list is provided, with guidance on key items of reading for major themes and lecture topics.

Coursework feedback tutorials provide students with an opportunity to get feedback and guidance on all aspects of their written work.

• analysis of different forms of historical evidence, including literary texts, inscriptions, and material evidence
• observation and visual analysis
• assimilating and synthesising complex information and ideas
• critical thinking skills, including evaluating evidence, assessing arguments, and challenging assumptions
• constructing and defending arguments based on evidence
• clear, accurate and effective communication of ideas and arguments in writing and in debate
• employing basic skills and conventions in the presentation and use of literary and material evidence
• contributing to group discussions
• using IT resources effectively
• independent working and time management
• bibliographic and referencing skills

The module will be assessed through a 2000-word essay (50%), a creative project (25%), and an exam consisting of two source criticism exercises (25%).

The essay will require knowledge and critical deployment of evidence and critical understanding of modern scholarship to answer questions and construct arguments relating to ancient Persia.

The exam will consist of two source criticism exercises, weighted equally. Specific written or material sources relating to the history of ancient Persia will be set, and students will have to assess their significance, thus deploying their knowledge of the issues and their interpretations.

In the creative project, students will create a PowerPoint presentation on specific artefacts or themes chosen by the tutor; these must incorporate detailed text and references, visual imagery, and any media components (voice-over narration, film clips etc.) thought to be enhancing or beneficial to the project.

Type of assessment = CW

% Contribution = 50

Title = Coursework -Essay

Duration = 
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment = Spring Semester

Type of assessment = CW

% Contribution = 25

Title = Creative Project

Duration = 
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment = Spring Semester

Type of assessment = EXSP

% Contribution = 25

Title = Ancient Persia: the Achaemenid Dynasty, 559-331 BCE

Duration = 1 hour
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment = Spring Semester

The opportunity for reassessment in this module

Students who fail the module will normally be expected to resit the failed component(s) in the summer resit period.

The course will explore themes such as:

• the modern historiography of ancient Persia
• Iranian identity and ancient Persia
• sources and interpretations
• nomadism and Persian identity
• Elam and the Elamites
• a chronology of the Empire
• royal ideology
• ruling the Empire: administration and governance
• the court
• women and gender
• military matters
• Persian Orientalism

L. Allen, The Persian Empire (2005)
P. Briant, From Cyrus to Alexander. A History of the Persian Empire (2002)
M. Brosius, Women in Ancient Persia (559–331 BC) (1996)
J.M. Cook, The Persian Empire (1983)
T. Harrison, Writing Ancient Persia (2010)
A. Kuhrt, The Persian Empire. A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period (2007)

L. Llewellyn-Jones, ‘The first Persian empire’ in T. Harrison (ed.), Ancient Empires (2009) 65–95

L. Llewellyn-Jones, King and Court in Ancient Persia 559–331 BCE (2013)

M.C. Root, The King and Kingship in Achaemenid Art: Essays on the Creation of an Iconography of Empire (1979)
J. Wiesehöfer, Ancient Persia from 550 BC to 650 AD (1996)

See the module handout for the full reading list.