John Lee
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Examine the war with the Greeks from the Persian perspective. After the Athenians threw a Persian herald into a pit, Darius sent his fleet across the Aegean Sea. They advanced into Greece without trouble, but at Marathon the Persian forces stumbled and were defeated by the Athenians.
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The empire was stable under Darius II, but his passing presented a new challenge to the empire. Experience the crucial moment when, after Artaxerxes II took power, his brother Cyrus orchestrated a revolt. Feel the suspense as the two brothers clashed in a great showdown at Cunaxa, fighting for the kingship.
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Learn why scholars debate how much political power women had in ancient Persia. Compared to Greek women, Achaemenid women had considerable legal and economic freedom. Discover how royal women participated in palace ceremonies, and meet three powerful women in the empire - Artemisia, Mania, and Epyaxa.
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Witness the suspenseful battles between the Persians and the Macedonians, the sieges of Alexander the Great, and Darius III on the run. Alexander, arguably one of the greatest generals in history, commanded a powerful army and defeated Darius, then took on the mantle of Great King, adopting much of Persian ideology.
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Learn how Cyrus, the first great king of the Persian Empire, expanded the empire through pragmatic leadership. You'll see how he made use of local customs and traditions and thereby gained legitimacy over a wide territory - including central Asia and Babylon. His son Cambyses continued that method when he expanded the empire into Egypt.
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Step back and tour the five Persian capitals - Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis. Built in strategic, fortified locations, these cities were important symbols of power for the great kings. For instance, you'll encounter the great hall at Persepolis, which could hold 10,000 guests.
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Take a road trip into the western provinces and see the empire's diverse local customs. The Persian Empire was famous for its roads and bridges, and people traveled often. Learn how its express messenger system allowed information to travel quickly - and allowed the king to keep tabs on every corner of the empire.
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Revolts in Ionia and Cyprus and an attack by the Athenians show the limits of the Persian philosophy of harmonious cooperation - not everyone was content under Persian rule. Explore the early challenges to Persian power and see how Darius contained these threats using diplomacy, military force, and strategic communication.
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The history of the empire was not just about kings and battles. Take a look at the lives of ordinary folks. Beyond the capital cities, farming was the basis of the empire's wealth. Explore the agricultural practices of the empire and meet day-to-day workers - including migrant laborers and slaves.
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As part of its administrative system, the empire created a new Persian currency. From surviving business documents, discover that while agriculture was important, wealth sometimes became concentrated in the hands of a few crafty entrepreneurs, whose financial clout presented systemic risk to the empire.
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Travel east through what is now Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and onward into Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Here you'll discover the complexity of Persian power, as well as its lasting influence. With people moving across vast distances, the Persian Empire was held together by its efficient administration and communication systems.
12) Dirt and Snakes
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Expansive.., and eloquent.., at once grave and majestic. In the final volume of the 'Home' trilogy, it is 1974 and we are in the windswept territories of the southwest USA. Written with terse lyricism, and cinematic detail, and wry humor, Dirt and Snakes is a tale of the American West like no other in contemporary literature. This searing, extraordinarily evocative narrative opens with Gus Alamo, a wayfarer; a Cowboy; a seeker of all that is the open...
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"The miracle of loneliness is that sooner or later it makes you act otherwise."
Illuminated by extraordinary tenderness, Ervin Shane and The Sunshine Motel is a poignant tale about origins and endings told in the plain speak of a man tired of living a hand-to-mouth existence in the racist, post-WWII south.
In 1951, Ervin Shane boarded a Greyhound headed to wherever the winter sun was warmer. A thousand miles later, a layover in a West Texas bus station...
14) Says Who?
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Revenge is grief upended, only with penance served can atonement begin.
From the tranquil moors of southern England; to the Caribbean's steamy shores; to the sweeping African plain, the moral compass is set to spin off its axis. For Thomas Edward Muir, evil is not illusory, it is the debasement of young lives; it is the slaying of the innocent; it is the eradication of family. "Surrender..," he is told, "...is the way of the world."
The sequel to...
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Haunting and sly and revealing and moving into the realm of myth, Spaceman Spiritus is an unflinching expression of the vulnerabilities that make us human.
Spaceman Spiritus is a prisoner, found guilty of the enduring crime of solitude, sentenced to labor far underground somewhere in a distant galaxy. Peel is a rancher, a man tracing a lifetime of memories for those he loved and for the natural world around him. He's about to plummet back to Earth...
16) Sky Blue Sky
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Thomas Edward Muir is no drifter. He flies cargo in the islands; he rides motorcycles in the desert. Muir sails and he dives and... Yeah, he's that guy.
But life is about to kick him in the teeth. He's gonna meet a monster. Pure evil. He's gonna witness the darkest side of human suffering. And it's gonna rock his world. And he's gonna struggle with that...'cause he's that guy.
From the balmy, indigo waters of the Caribbean Sea to the searing heat...