DR EMMA BRIDGES
Q. HOW MUCH HAS THE WESTERN VIEW OF THE PERSIAN REGION AND THE FIRST PERSIAN EMPIRE IN PARTICULAR BEEN COLOURED BY ANCIENT GREEK HISTORICAL RECORDS?
A. A number of historical and social factors (among them some deeply problematic ideas about what constitutes ‘civilisation’ and about whose cultures are worthy of our attention) have conspired over the centuries to ensure that the cultural legacy of Greece has to a large extent shaped Western views of the ancient world. It seems that the Persian Wars – and the defeat of Persia – came to be seen as
