{"product_id":"ctesias-persica-in-its-near-matt-waters-9780299310905","title":"Ctesias' Persica in Its Near Eastern Context","description":"The \u003ci\u003ePersica\u003c\/i\u003e is an extensive history of Assyria and Persia written by the Greek historian Ctesias, who served as a doctor to the Persian king Artaxerxes II around 400 bce. Written for a Greek readership, the \u003ci\u003ePersica\u003c\/i\u003e influenced the development of both historiographic and literary traditions in Greece. It also, contends Matt Waters, is an essential but often misunderstood source for the history of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.\u003cbr\u003e Waters, as a historian of Persia with command of Akkadian, Elamite, and Old Persian languages in addition to Latin and Greek, offers a fresh interdisciplinary analysis of the \u003ci\u003ePersica.\u003c\/i\u003e He shows in detail how Ctesias' history, though written in a Greek literary style, was infused with two millennia of Mesopotamian and Persian motifs, legends, and traditions. This Hellenized version of Persian culture was enormously influential in antiquity, shaping Greek stereotypes of effeminate Persian monarchs, licentious and vengeful queens, and conniving eunuchs. Waters' revealing study contributes significantly to knowledge of ancient historiography, Persian dynastic traditions and culture, and the influence of Near Eastern texts and oral tradition on Greek literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Matt Waters\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0299310906\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780299310905\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Wisconsin Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/24\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 184\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d","brand":"Matt Waters","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48013719372031,"sku":"9780299310905","price":64.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_338ed107-659c-4d99-93f2-f3bf8bfb68d1.jpg?v=1767744342","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ctesias-persica-in-its-near-matt-waters-9780299310905","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}