Speaker for March 28th - Reza Zarghamee

Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century B.C.
Given these challenges, Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World  is a remarkable feat of portraiture.  In his vast sweep, Reza Shaghaghi Zarghamee draws on sources of every kind, painstakingly assembling detail, and always weighing evidence carefully where contradictions arise. He describes the background of the Persian people, the turbulence of the times, and the roots of Cyrus’ policies.  His account of the imperial era itself delves into religion, military methods, commerce, court life, and much else besides. The result is a living, breathing Cyrus standing atop a distant world that played a key role in shaping our own.