Digital Maps of the Ancient World

Administration

Dive into the intricacies of governance and administration within the vast Persian Empire through our meticulously curated reading list.

Delving into the scholarship of renowned historians such as Kuhrt, Wiesehöfer, and Tuplin, this collection offers invaluable insights into the structures, policies, and dynamics of Persian imperial rule. Explore the bureaucratic machinery that facilitated the management of diverse cultures and territories, from the satrapies to the heartland of Persia. Gain a nuanced understanding of the roles of satraps, royal officials, and local administrators in maintaining order and extracting resources across the empire’s vast expanse. Whether you’re interested in fiscal administration, legal systems, or the cultural and economic integration of conquered peoples, our reading list provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research and interpretations on the administration of the Persian Empire. Engaging and illuminating, these scholarly works shed light on the complexities of one of the ancient world’s most enduring empires.

General

  • Briant, P., From Cyrus to Alexander: a history of the Persian Empire, Winona Lake IN, 2002, 357-514.
  • Waters, M.W., Ancient Persia: a concise history of the Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BCE, New York, 2014, 92-113 & 134-156.
  • Wiesehofer, J. & Azodi, A., Ancient Persia: from 550 BC to 650 AD, London, 2001, 56-65 & 89-101.

Further Reading

  • Briant, P., ‘Table du roi. Tribut et rédistribution chez les Achéménides’ in Le Tribut dans l’Empire Perse: actes de la Table ronde de Paris, 12-13 Décembre 1986, Paris, 1989, 35-44.
  • Brosius, M., ‘Reconstructing an archive: account and journal texts from Persepolis’ in Ancient archives and archival traditions: concepts of record-keeping in the ancient world, Oxford, 2003, 264-283.
  • Graf, D., ‘Persian royal road system’ in Achaemenid history: 8: Continuity and change : proceedings of the last Achaemenid History Workshop April 6-8, 1990 – Ann Arbor, Michigan, Leiden, 1994, 167-189.
  • Hallock, R.T., ‘The evidence of the Persepolis tablets’ in The Cambridge history of Iran: Vol. 2: The Median and Achaemenian period, Cambridge, 1985.
  • Henkelma, W., ‘Administrative Realities. The Persepolis Archives and the Archaeology of the Achaemenid Heartland’ in The Oxford handbook of ancient Iran, Oxford, 2013.
  • Jacobs, B., ‘Achaemenid satrapies’ in Encyclopaedia Iranica, London, 2011.
  • Jursa, M., ‘Taxation and service-obligations in Babylonia and the evidence for Darius’ tax-reform’ in Herodot und das Persische Weltreich =: Herodotus and the Persian Empire : Akten des 3. Internationalen Kolloquiums zum Thema “Vorderasien im Spannungsfeld klassischer und altorientalischer Überlieferungen,” Innsbruck, 24.-28. November 2008, Wiesbaden, 2011.
  • Kuhrt, A., ‘Earth and water’ in Achaemenid history: 3: Method and theory : proceedings of the London 1985 Achaemenid History Workshop, Leiden, 1988, 87-99.
  • Lewis, D.M., ‘The King’s table’ in Achaemenid history: 2: The Greek sources : proceedings of the Groningen 1984 Achaemenid History Workshop, Leiden, 1987, 79-87.
  • Lewis, D.M., ‘The Persepolis fortification texts’ in Achaemenid history: 4: Centre and periphery : proceedings of the Groningen 1986 Achaemenid History Workshop, Leiden, 1990, 1-6.
  • Lewis, D.M., ‘The Persepolis tablets: speech, seal and script’ in Literacy and power in the ancient world, Cambridge, 1994, 17-32.
  • Sancisi-Weerdenburg, H., ‘Gifts in the Persian empire’ in Le Tribut dans l’Empire Perse: actes de la Table ronde de Paris, 12-13 Décembre 1986, Paris, 1989, 129-146.
  • Tuplin, C.J., ‘Administration of the Persian Empire’ in Coinage and administration in the Athenian and Persian empires: the Ninth Oxford Symposium on Coinage and Monetary History, Oxford, 1987, 109-166.
  • Tuplin, C.J., ‘Xenophon and the garrisons of the Achaemenid Empire’ in Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran 20, 1987, 167-245.
  • Tuplin, C.J., ‘The seasonal migration of Achaemenid kings’ in Achaemenid history: essays in memory of David M. Lewis, 11: Studies in Persian history, Leiden, 1998, 63-114.
  • Tuplin, C.J., ‘Managing the World: Herodotus on Persian imperial administration’ in Herodot und das Persische Weltreich =: Herodotus and the Persian Empire : Akten des 3. Internationalen Kolloquiums zum Thema “Vorderasien im Spannungsfeld klassischer und altorientalischer Überlieferungen,” Innsbruck, 24.-28. November 2008, Wiesbaden, 2011.
  • Tuplin, C.J., ‘The justice of Darius’ in Assessing Biblical and classical sources for the reconstruction of Persian influence, history, and culture, Wiesbaden, 2015.