Pierre Briant Livres

Around 550 BCE, the Persian people emerged from Iran and engaged in an adventure that, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great and his successors, culminated in the creation of an Empire that stretched from central Asia to Upper Egypt, from the Indus to the Danube. This book helps you understand how such an Empire emerged, developed, and faded.

Darius III ruled over the Persian Empire and was the most powerful king of his time, yet he remains obscure. In the first book devoted to the historical memory of Darius III, Pierre Briant describes a man depicted in ancient sources as a decadent Oriental who lacked Western masculine virtues and... číst celé

Defeating the mighty Persian Empire at the age of 22, Alexander the Great rapidly conquered the rest of the then known world. This book traces the career of Alexander who was destined to become one of the greatest generals the world has known, and celebrates his legacy to Greek civilization.

This book uniquely places Alexander's brief empire within the context of ancient Near Eastern history and Achaemenid Persian rule. Historian Pierre Briant offers insights from both Macedonian and Persian perspectives, enhancing the understanding of Alexander's significance. It includes a new foreword, updated text, and a substantial appendix.

Enlightenment thinkers, searching for ancient models to understand contemporary affairs, were the first to critically interpret Alexander the Great’s achievements. As Pierre Briant shows, in their minds Alexander was the first European: an empire builder who welcomed trade with the “Orient” and brought Western civilization to its oppressed peoples.

Pierre Briant’s work focuses particularly on the Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Kingdoms. For the first time a selection of articles, originally published between 1979 and 2008, is now available in an English translation. The essays, translated by Amélie Kuhrt, deal with a wide range of topics, from regional studies to more universal subjects. A thought-provoking introduction gives a deeper understanding of his thinking by sometimes adopting his conclusions and by occasionally questioning his ideas and presenting an alternative line of thought. Thus, Kings, Countries, Peoples gives us an insight into the evolution of Pierre Briant's work.