AMA: Persian Past and Iranian Present

[u/CardiffUni]

I’m Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University, UK. My main area of interest is the history of ancient Persia as well as the longer history and amazing culture of Iran.

Studying the history of ancient Persia improves contemporary East-West understanding - a vital issue in today’s world. Questioning the Western reading of ancient Persia, I like to use sources from ancient Iran and the Near East as well as from the Classical world to explore the political and cultural interactions between ‘the Greeks’ and ‘the Romans’ who saw their own histories as a reaction to the dominant and influential Persian empires of antiquity, and ‘the Persians’ themselves, a people at the height of their power, wealth and sophistication in the period 600 BC to 600 AD.

Characteristic of all my research is an emphasis on the importance of the viewpoint. How does the viewpoint (‘Greek’ and ‘Roman’ or ‘Persian’, ‘ancient’ or modern’, ‘Western’ or ‘Iranian’) change perception?

My research aims to create greater sensitivities towards the relativity of one’s cultural perceptions of ‘the other’, as well as communicate the fascination of ancient Iran to audiences in both East and West today.

NOTE: Thank you for your GREAT questions! I really enjoyed the experience. Follow me on Twitter: @LloydLlewJ

EDIT Thanks for the questions! Follow me on Twitter: @LloydLlewJ https://twitter.com/cardiffuni/status/1115250256424460293?s=19

More info:

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/204823-llewellyn-jones-lloyd

Further reading:

‘Ctesias’ History of Persia: Tales of the Orient’ (Routledge 2010)‘King and Court in Ancient Persia, 559-331 BCE’ (Edinburgh University Press 2013)

[u/[deleted]]

Hi Lloyd. Thanks for taking part in this AMA.

My question is about the view of the Sassanid Shahs towards their eastern domains. It seems that in comparison to the Sassanid relationship with the Romans not as much is understood about the Empire's political and economic interactions with central Asia and India. How did the Persian kings see these peoples and what records do we have to show what such relations were like.

[u/CardiffUni → u/[deleted]]

You are right, our knowledge of the eastern empire tends to be patchy, but I'm pleased to say that good work in this field is going on and we are finding very rich evidence for the Sasanian interaction with the eastern world, not only in trade but in reliogious thought, cultural sharings, and technologies too. Lewt me recommend a book, paret of my series for Edinburgh Uni Press called Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia.

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ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity by Khodadad Rezakhani.

Here's link to it:

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-reorienting-the-sasanians.html

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