Darius the Great: Ancient Ruler of the Persian Empire (Paperback)

~ Jacob Abbott (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The chronicles of Darius the Great are some of the greatest annals in Persian history. In about 600 B.C., the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great was on a campaign to expand his dominion and obtain some additional glory by defeating certain uncivilized tribes to the north, beyond the Araxes. One night, after he had crossed a mighty river, on the way to his triumphs, he had a remarkable dream. His dream was that Darius, the son of one of his advisers, and a non-heir to the throne, appeared to him with vast wings growing from his shoulders, overshadowing the whole known world. To Cyrus, it seemed that Darius would eventually hold sway over his empire, and immediately sent for Hystaspes, the father of Darius, to keep a close eye on him until such a time as Cyrus could return. Cyrus, in fact, was killed in a battle, never to return. The heir-ship was passed to one of Cyrus’ two rightful sons, Cambyses.

Under his new reign, Cambyses undertook to expand his empire and conquer new lands. He set his sights on Egypt, whose king he felt, had betrayed his father in a convoluted scheme. While there he achieved great victories against the people of Egypt, however, on his way back, he heard of a conspiracy that his brother Smerdis had been killed and an impostor had usurped the throne back in Susa, the capital city. A local magician also named Smerdis who bore a remarkable likeness to the heir, had taken his place. In his haste to return to the capital, and with great irony, Cambyses suffered a nasty wound while mounting his horse as his blade fell from its sheath. Unfortunately, the wound turned out to be fatal, and the impersonator was then firmly in power.

Amongst the conspirators that helped put the false Smerdis in power, was the distant cousin of Cambyses, and thus of Cyrus, the same Darius who appeared in the prophetic vision which Cyrus had dreamt of some time before. In the end, a contest was decided to determine the next king of the Persian Empire. As the story goes, Darius played a deception at the competition, and thus succeeded to the throne, and the rest, as they say, is history. The narrative of his achievements were first found, engraved in multiple scripts, high on a rock wall in on Behistun mountain, on the main highway between present-day Iraq and Iran. First discovered in 1621 by an Italian traveler, it wasn’t until the early 18th century that Sir Henry Rawlinson was able to use the trilingual translation to finally unlock the secrets of cuneiform writing, and thus the fertile history of the Middle East. ISBN 1-59016-152-1 o 286 pages o 6 x 9 o tradepaper o illustrated.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Lost Arts Media (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590161521
• ISBN-13: 978-1590161524
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,655,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the other two reviews. They don't know what they're talking about., August 6, 2005

By	Miss Maggie (Southern Virginia) - See all my reviews

I am so pleased to see to see this classic book back in print. Jacob Abbot is one of the most talented historians to come out of the 1800's. His biographies and historical fiction are enchanting, accurate and an absolute joy to read. This one about Darius and the Persian Empire is appropriate for ages 12 to adult. It's easy to understand, gives enough detail without overburdening the reader with useless information, and paints an accurate picture of the events it describes. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars dang, November 3, 2003

By	Marcelo Martinez (Tucson,AZ) - See all my reviews

I was really disappointed, basically they guy summarizes Herodotus; with no new information on Darius, other than just critizing Herodotus for his improbable accounts....I was expecting something different

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An 1878 publication reprinted!, December 8, 2003

By	Henry J. Blackmore (Western Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is nothing in the Amazon blurb to indicate that this is a publication of 1878 which was simply reprinted in 2003! Silly me, I thought I was purchasing a very recent publication. Although very readable, the book clearly displayed the knowledge about Darius available to the nineteenth century reader and nothing more recent. In addition the dust jacket incorrectly referred to Sir Henry Rawlinson's copying and decipherment of the Behistun inscriptions of Darius as happening in the "early 18th century" - in fact, he was born in 1810!