Table of Contents

Editors' Preface
Preface
Chapter 1 A Convergence of Land and Language (3500-550 BCE)
Chapter 2 Iran and the Greeks (550-247 BCE)
Chapter 3 Parthians, Sasanians, and Sogdians (247 BCE-651 CE)
Chapter 4 The Iranization of Islam (651-1027)
Chapter 5 The Turks: Empire-Builders and Champions of Persian Culture (1027-1722)
Chapter 6 Under Europe's Shadow (1722-1925)
Chapter 7 Modernization and Dictatorship: The Pahlavi Years (1925-79)
Chapter 8 The Islamic Republic of Iran (1979-present)
Chronology
Notes
Further Reading
Websites
Acknowledgments
Index

About the Author

Richard Foltz is Professor of Iranian Studies at Concordia University in Montréal, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and previously taught at Columbia, Brown, and the University of Florida. Having written on topics ranging from Animal Rights to Zoroastrianism, his earlier books include Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present and Religions of the Silk Road.

Reviews

"[I]t is particularly well written and will be a quick, enjoyable read for those interested in learning about Iranian history and culture...Essential."--CHOICE
"Richard Foltz analyses the socio-political reasons that led to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran; he discusses also the history of the country in the aftermath, with a fair amount of objectivity and impartiality. Among the advantages of the book I would mention the ample photographic materials and a brief chronology of the Iranian history." -- Anton Evstratov, Iran and the Caucasus
"Any reader looking for a concise, yet all-inclusive history of Iran, or the development and interactions of world civilizations in general would enjoy Foltz's new book."--The Middle East Journal