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Xerxes: A Persian Life
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Review
'Recent scholarly approaches to the lives of ancient Iranian monarchs have opted for the Reception Studies approach, filtering the rulers through the long-lens of ancient and modern historiography. Not so Richard Stoneman. He boldly bucks the trend and in his Xerxes: A Persian Life proves that it is possible to write a very good biography of a long-dead Persian. He takes a cradle-to-grave (or harem-to-ossuary) approach in doing so and tackles the complex, conflicting, multi-layered sources with gusto.'--Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, THE--Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones"Times Higher Education" (07/08/2015)"Stoneman succeeds in offering a re-examination, or a biography as he calls it, of Xerxes' life and work. . . . A useful companion for everyone interested in the Greek-Persian wars, the civilizations of the Near East and especially those unfamiliar with the Achaemenid Empire."--Michael Iliakis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review --Michael Iliakis"Bryn Mawr" (03/17/2017)
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About the Author
Richard Stoneman is Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Exeter, and the author of numerous books. He lives in Devon, UK.
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Product details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (October 6, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0300180071
ISBN-13: 978-0300180077
Product Dimensions:
6.2 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
2 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#614,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
There is something about Achaemenid Persia I have found fascinating since I read my parents battered paperback couple of Mary Renault's The Persian Boy. So I was really happy to take this on and see what new and interesting aspects that a biography of Xerxes would hopefully deliver.It did not. Instead I found that this was more a compilation of Xerxes in literature and historical mention. There is heavy focus on his invasion of Greece, but that is more of a detailing of others and what they did. There is climatic focus on his death possibly being due to his attempts at an affair.But I found the structure odd. There was no strong chronological flow which a biography should employ in my opinion. And there was way too much referencing to literary 'references'. Some of whom I have a hard time seeing as possible experts on a man that clearly has not had significant archaeologic finds to allow for such a new book to hit shelves. Lord Byron might have found him interesting and a subject worth writing about. I agree whole heartedly But I'm not sure Byron is historical apt or anywhere near correct in his assessments. In fact too many of the mentions of Xerxes fall into some kind of agenda driven usage. Few if any of the Greeks who wrote about him close enough in any way to be slightly authentic, do so without picking a 'side' in the whole East versus West aspect.And Stoneman does address this. But in a way I feel is too little too late. Too much is left in the hands of others who have already decided the role Xerxes played simply because of the side they were writing from. Even later literary personages like Byron see him solely through the eyes of one side.I guess if you want a book that does a good job of collecting (though not presenting) tons of references to Xerxes as a figure that appears elsewhere (think of it as the biographical equivalent of his IMDB page -- as a character though) this could work well in that regard. If you want a strong biography of a significant historical character, sadly it is not here in my opinion.
Most of us in the West know Xerxes as the Persian king who lost a war against the Greeks. Popular historians have often depicted him as indolent and indulgent. The movie 300 is probably the most prominent depiction of Xerxes in pop culture in recent years. If nothing else, Richard Stoneman tries to disabuse readers of those prior conceptions in his new biography “Xerxes,†the first major biography of the king in decades.Stoneman argues that Xerxes was likely not the caricature history has often depicted. He puts the Greek war in perspective, noting that Xerxes continued to rule 15 years after his defeat at Salamis. Instead, Stoneman points to Xerxes’ public building projects at Persepolis as his true mark on history. He also points out that, far from being a womanizer, for most of his life Xerxes had only one wife and seemed devoted to her.Stoneman even manages to put Xerxes’ supposed cruelty in context. In traditional Persian conceptions of kingship, the king symbolized the kingdom. So when Xerxes asked soldiers to depart from a ship to allow the king to board – leading to their certain death – we should view that as not simply cowardice but as a testament to the importance of the king.Stoneman is excellent at finding new ways of understanding ancient Persian political culture. Yet, as he seems to admit, he can’t bring Xerxes “to life†for modern readers. Part of this is due to the lack of sources; we can’t psychoanalyze Xerxes without data. But Stoneman’s writing also tends to be dry. Stoneman spends much of the book countering the more dramaticized popular depictions of Xerxes, so perhaps his style is deliberate.Stoneman’s book is geared more towards historians than for the general public. He references other scholars and historical figures with little explanation or context. If you don’t know who Themistocles is before going into the book, this probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re familiar with the basic history of the time and want help separating myth from reality, Stoneman is a good guide.(For readers looking for a dramatic retelling of the Greco-Persian War, I recommend Tom Holland’s Persian Fire.)[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review]
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