Courses

This seminar studies the ancient Persian (Achaemenid) Empire which ruled the entire Middle East from the late 6^th to the late 4^th centuries BCE and was the first multi-ethnic empire in western Asian and Mediterranean history. We will investigate the empire using diverse sources, both textual and material, from the various constituent parts of the empire and study the different ways in which it interacted with its subject populations. This course is a seminar and students will be asked to submit a research paper at the end of the semester. Moreover, in each class meeting one student will present part of the readings.

Grading: participation (25%), class presentation (25%), paper (50%).