Persia

Persia pûr´zhə, –shə [key], old alternate name for the Asian country Iran. The article Iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern country and a short account of its history since the Arab invasion of the 7th cent. This article is concerned with the history of the ancient Persian Empire, in which present-day Iran has its roots.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Origins of the Persian Empire
• The Achaemenids
• The Seleucids and the Parthian Empire
• The Sassanid Dynasty
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Middle East