Iranian Expanse: Transforming Royal Identity through Architecture, Landscape, and the Built Environment, 550 BCE-642 CE

The Iranian Expanse explores how kings in Persia and the ancient Iranian world used the built and natural environment to shape and contest Iranian cultural memory, royal identity, and sacred cosmologies. It argues that Iranian identities were built and shaped by strategic changes to Western Asia's cities, sanctuaries, palaces, and landscapes, and critically examines the construction of a new Iranian royal identity and empire. It also delves into the innovations that emerged after Alexander under the Seleucids, Arsacids, Kushans, Sasanians, and Perso-Macedonian dynasties.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 17 November 2020
Publisher: University of California Press

The Iranian Expanse delves into the intricate tapestry of kings in Persia and the ancient Iranian world, exploring how they harnessed the built and natural environment to shape and contest Iranian cultural memory, royal identity, and sacred cosmologies. Spanning a millennium of history, from the Achaemenid period to the arrival of Islam, this comprehensive study argues that Iranian identities were not solely forged through royal discourse but also through strategic transformations of Western Asia's cities, sanctuaries, palaces, and landscapes.

The Iranian Expanse critically examines the construction of a new Iranian royal identity and empire, which subsumed and subordinated all previous traditions, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Anatolia. It then delves into the remarkable innovations that emerged under the Seleucids, Arsacids, Kushans, Sasanians, and the Perso-Macedonian dynasties of Anatolia and the Caucasus, a previously understudied and misunderstood period. Matthew P. Canepa elucidates the many ruptures and renovations that produced a new royal culture, deeply influencing not only early Islam but also the broader Persianate world of the Il-Khans, Safavids, Timurids, Ottomans, and Mughals.

The Iranian Expanse offers a rich and multifaceted perspective on the complex interplay between kings, culture, and the natural world, shedding light on the profound ways in which historical events and environmental transformations have shaped the identity and trajectory of Iran and its neighboring regions.

Weight: 1236g
Dimension: 217 x 279 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520379206