Books by Touraj Daryaee

Although much of the primary information about the Parthian period comes from coins, there has been much new research undertaken over the past few decades into wider aspects of both the Parthian and Sassanian Empires including the Arsacid Parthians, and their material culture. Despite a change of ruling dynasty, the two empires were closely connected and cannot be regarded as totally separate entities. The continuation of Parthian influence particularly into the early Sasanian period cannot be disputed. An historic lack of detailed information arose partly through the relative lack of excavated archaeological sites dating to the Parthian period in Iran and western scholars' lack of knowledge of recent excavations and their results that are usually published in Persian, coupled with the inevitable difficulties for academic research engendered by the recent political situation in the region. Although an attempt has been made by several scholars in the west to place this important Iranian dynasty in its proper cultural context, the traditional GrecoRoman influenced approach is still prevalent. The present volume presents 15 papers covering various aspects of Parthian and early Sasanian history, material culture, linguistics and religion which demonstrate a rich surviving heritage and provide many new insights into ideology, royal genealogy, social organization, military tactics, linguistic developments and trading contacts.

For a long time, Sasanian studies were mainly cultivated by linguists and historians of religion, and the only standard work on the history of the Sasanian Empire was Arthur Christensen’s L’Iran sous les Sassanides (Copenhagen 1936; second revised and expanded edition 1944). Only in recent years, Christensen’s authority was challenged: Several new syntheses eventually allowed Late antique scholars to better understand the history and the structure of the great rival of the Roman Empire. However, we still lacked a handy, student-friendly introduction to Sasanians studies. Now, Daryaee and Rezakhani provide us with this very welcome booklet, which I highly recommend to students, to an educated audience, but also to Classical scholars (it’s never too late).
Giusto Traina,
Paris-Sorbonne University

The Book is the earliest text on the rules and views of the games of chess and backgammon written in the Middle Persian, reported to be from the time of Khusro Anushirvan in the 6th CE.

This Handbook is a current, comprehensive single-volume history of Iranian civilization. The authors, all leaders in their fields, emphasize the large-scale continuities of Iranian history while also describing the important patterns of transformation that have characterized Iran's past. Each of the chapters focuses on a specific epoch of Iranian history and surveys the general political, social, cultural, and economic issues of that era. The ancient period begins with chapters considering the anthropological evidence of the prehistoric era, through to the early settled civilizations of the Iranian plateau, and continuing to the rise of the ancient Persian empires. The medieval section first considers the Arab-Muslim conquest of the seventh century, and then moves on to discuss the growing Turkish influence filtering in from Central Asia beginning in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The last third of the book covers Iran in the modern era by considering the rise of the Safavid state and its accompanying policy of centralization, the introduction of Shi'ism, the problems of reform and modernization in the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, and the revolution of 1978-79 and its aftermath. The book is a collaborative exercise among scholars specializing in a variety of sub-fields, and across a number of disciplines, including history, art history, classics, literature, politics, and linguistics. Here, readers can find a reliable and accessible narrative that can serve as an authoritative guide to the field of Iranian studies.

World History: A Concise Thematic Analysis presents the highly anticipated second edition of the most affordable and accessible survey of world history designed for use at the college level.

• An engaging narrative that contextualizes history and does not drown students in a sea of facts
• Offers a comparative analysis of the great civilizations of Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas
• Addresses themes of population dynamics, food production challenges, disease history, warfare, and other major issues for civilizations
• Features new interior design and organization to enhance user experience
• Instructor’s test bank available online at www.wiley.com/go/wallech

World History: A Concise Thematic Analysis presents the highly anticipated second edition of the most affordable and accessible survey of world history designed for use at the college level.

• An engaging narrative that contextualizes history and does not drown students in a sea of facts
• Offers a comparative analysis of the great civilizations of Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas
• Addresses themes of population dynamics, food production challenges, disease history, warfare, and other major issues for civilizations
• Features new interior design and organization to enhance user experience
• Instructor's test bank available online at www.wiley.com/go/wallech

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.

World History is a collection of important primary sources on the history of the ancient and medieval world. What makes this book important is that it is written by a historian who has been teaching ancient world history for the past 12 years in colleges and universities in the United States. The sources are selected to provide a complete overview of the social, political, economic, and religious history of ancient and medieval civilizations. The author has translated some of the primary sources and provides important comments and questions to bring a clearer understanding for the reader and to better frame the issues and lives of the pre-modern world.

Touraj Daryaee is the Howard C. Baskerville Professor in the History of Iran and the Persianate World at the University of California, Irvine. He was born in Tehran, Iran in 1967. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. Besides teaching ancient world history, Dr. Daryaee’s research has focused on ancient and early medieval history of Iran and the Near East, specifically the Sasanian Empire. He has worked on Middle Persian literature, editing and translating several texts with commentary on geography, dinner speech, chess, and backgammon. He is also interested in the history of Zoroastrianism in Late Antiquity and its encounter with Islam. He is the editor of the Name-ye Iran-e Bastan: The International Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies and the director of Sasanika: Late Antique Near East Project.

Book by Venetis, Evangelos, Daryaee, Touraj, Alinia, Massoumeh

Book annotation not available for this title.
Title: Sasanian Iran (224-651 CE)
Author: Daryaee, Touraj
Publisher: Mazda Pub
Publication Date: 2008/07/30
Number of Pages: 140
Binding Type: PAPERBACK
Library of Congress: 2008023074

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Book by Mahmoud Omidsalar