Forgotten Empire

Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia, edited by John E Curtis and Nigel Tallis, 263 pages

The Achaemenid Persian Empire, the empire of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, may not be entirely forgotten, but it is certainly overshadowed by the Hellenistic empires that followed.  When it is remembered, it is usually through other eyes, as the great enemy of the Greeks or as the great friend of the Jews.  Although the empire was the largest the world had ever seen up to that time and endured for over two centuries, even in Persia itself its memory swiftly eroded, in large part due to the vandalism of Alexander and his successors.

This exhibition, then, put on by the British Museum with the cooperation of the Iranian government, represents a welcome opportunity to explore the world of the Persians from within.  It is unfortunate that it is rather underwhelming.  The objects themselves are largely indifferent, and the essays included in the catalogue tend to be mind-numbingly technical, focused more on describing the archaeology of ancient Persia rather than making it live.  There are some interesting essays, just as there are some interesting exhibits, but on the whole it is somewhat disappointing.