Empire, Authority, and Autonomy in the Achaemenid Persian Empire

The Achaemenid Persian Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE) stretched over thousands of miles and included many different cultures. Thanks to textual, visual, and archaeological materials, we can reconstruct some of the intricate and sophisticated ways this empire governed its diverse population and the ways those individuals and cultures responded to imperial presence. This talk examines government archives, palaces adorned with relief sculptures, eating and drinking practices, gender relations, mortuary remains, and communication systems — including the original “Pony Express” — to illuminate the complexity and vibrancy of Achaemenid Persia.
Elspeth Dusinberre is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Sponsored by the UCSB Departments of History and Anthropology in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.

jwil 06.x.2013