{"product_id":"the-medes-elliot-rowan-9798189186011","title":"The Medes: The Kingdom Before Persia","description":"In \u003ci\u003eThe Medes: The Kingdom Before Persia\u003c\/i\u003e, Elliot Rowan tells the story of the ancient Iranian kingdom that emerged from the rugged Zagros Mountains to become one of the great powers of the ancient Near East. Long before the rise of the Persian Empire, the Medes united scattered tribes, challenged the might of Assyria, and helped reshape the political landscape of western Asia. Though later overshadowed by the Achaemenids, they laid many of the foundations upon which Persian power would be built. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on archaeological discoveries from sites including Tepe Nush i Jan, Godin Tepe, Babajan, and ancient Ecbatana, alongside Assyrian royal inscriptions, the \u003ci\u003eBabylonian Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, and later Greek accounts, Rowan reconstructs a civilization whose history survives only in fragments. Fortified settlements, ceremonial buildings, and scattered records reveal a society that blended pastoral traditions with emerging state institutions, creating one of the earliest kingdoms of the Iranian world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRowan explores the rise of Median kingship, the kingdom's struggles against Assyria, its alliance with Babylon, the destruction of the Neo Assyrian Empire, and the emergence of Persia under Cyrus the Great. Through these interconnected events, the Medes emerge not as a forgotten prelude to Persia, but as a civilization that transformed the ancient Near East. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMore than the story of a vanished kingdom, this book reveals how the Medes shaped the political and cultural foundations of imperial Iran. Their independence faded, but their institutions, traditions, and legacy endured in the empire that followed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Elliot Rowan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798189186011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.46lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.38d","brand":"Elliot Rowan","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49148657860863,"sku":"9798189186011","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d436a5fa-fcc0-4883-a9fd-d9736e5e896c.jpg?v=1788583081","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-medes-elliot-rowan-9798189186011","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}