Iranian History/Bibliography

Ancient pre-historic Iran
Ariai, A., and C. Thibault, 1975-77 "Nouvelles precisions à propos de l'outillage paleolithique ancient sur galets du Khorassan (Iran)," Paleorient 3, Pp. 101-8.

Biglari, F. and Shidrang, S. 2006 The Lower Paleolithic Occupation of Iran, Near Eastern Archaeology 69(3–4): 160-168

Biglari, F.2007 The Lower and Middle Paleolithic Occupations of Iran: A Brief Review, In Iran, Fragments from Paradise, pp.31-39, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico City

Smith, P. 1986. Paleolithic archaeology in Iran (The American Institute of Iranian Studies Monograph 1). Philadelphia (PA): The University Museum


 * 1) CHN report: Zayandeh Rood Civilization Linked to Marvdasht and Sialk, 30 August 2005
 * 2) CHN report: Jiroft Inscription, Oldest Evidence of Written Language, 12 January 2006
 * 3) CHN report: Sialk Ziggurat, the Oldest in the World, Iranian Archeologist". Accessed Jan 30, 2007. Link: [2]

The Medes and the Early Achaemenids

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 2.
 * 2) History of Zoroastrianism by Maneckji Nusservanji Dhalla, Oxford University Press, New York, 1938.
 * 3) The Zend-Avesta Part I The Vendidad, Translated by James Darmesteter, Sacred Books of the East, Volume 4, Oxford University Press, 1880.
 * 4) The Gospel of Zarathushtra by Duncan Greenlees, World Gospel Series
 * 5) A. Kuhrt "The Cyrus Cylinder and Achaemenid imperial policy" in Journal of Studies of the Old Testament 25 pp. 83-97; R.J. van der Spek, "Did Cyrus the Great introduce a new policy towards subdued nations? Cyrus in Assyrian perspective" in Persica 10 pp. 273-285; British Museum, The Cyrus Cylinder. The most recent translation, based on the collation by Hanspeter Schaudig, can be found here.

The Era of the Three Dariuses

 * 1) The Sculptures and Inscriptions of Darius the Great, E.A.Wallis Budge, Longmans and Co, 1907.
 * 2) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 2, The Fourth Monarchy -- Persia.

The Seleucids

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Sixth Monarchy - Parthia.
 * 2) The Seleucids By Józef Wolski, Polska Akademia Umiejętności, 1999.
 * 3) The House of Seleucus By Edwyn Robert Bevan, 1902.
 * 4)  Judas Maccabaeus: The Jewish Struggle Against the Seleucids By Bezalel Bar-Kochva, 1989.
 * 5) Persia II: From the Seleucids to the Sassanids By Vladimir Grigor'evich Lukonin, James Hogarth, 1971.
 * 6) The End of the Seleucids By Alfred Raymond Bellinger, 1949.

The Early Parthians

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Sixth Monarchy - Parthia.

The Later Parthians

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Sixth Monarchy - Parthia.
 * 2) India's Parthian colony: On the origin of the Pallava empire of Dravidia, Article by Dr. Samar Abbas, May 14, 2003,The Iranian

The Early Sassanians

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Seventh Monarchy -- The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
 * 2) Karnamik-i-Ardashir or The Records of Ardashir from The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East by Charles F. Horne, (New York: Parke, Austin, & Lipscomb, 1917), Vol. VII: Ancient Persia, pp. 225-253.
 * 3) An Introduction to Manichaeism by Prods Oktor Skjaervo.
 * 4) Richard Frye, The Heritage of Persia.

The Middle Sassanian Period 379-488 AD

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Seventh Monarchy -- The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
 * 2) Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel
 * 3) The Mysteries of Mithra by Franz Cumont, Translated from the second revised French edition by Thomas J.McCormack, Chicago,Open Court[1903]
 * 4) The Historical Interaction between the Buddhist and Islamic Cultures before the Mongol Empire by Alexander Berzin, 1996

Qobad I and the Two Khusros

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Seventh Monarchy -- The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
 * 2) The Reforms of Chosroes Anushirvan ('Of the Immortal Soul'), Excerpted from The History of Ancient Iran by Richard Nelson Frye.

Downfall of the Sassanian Empire

 * 1) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Seventh Monarchy -- The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
 * 2) Causes of the Downfall of the Sassanian Empire, Article by Rashid Shahmardan from Vohuman.org.
 * 3) An Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time by James B. Fraser, Esq., Published by Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh and Simpkin & Marshall, London, 1834.

Last Remnants of Sassanid Rule

 * 1) Pirooz in China:Defeated Persian army takes refuge, Article by Frank Wong, August 11, 2000, The Iranian.

The Islamic Conquest of Iran

 * 1) Biography of Salman Al farsi. from Naqshbandhi Sufi website Naqshbandi.Org.
 * 2) A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and  Campaigns, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 0-7101-0104-X.
 * 3) The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World by George Rawlinson, M.A., Volume 3, The Seventh Monarchy -- The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
 * 4) An Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time by James B. Fraser, Esq., Published by Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh and Simpkin & Marshall, London, 1834.

The Umayyad Caliphate

 * 1)  G.R. Hawting, The first dynasty of Islam: the Umayyad caliphate, AD 661-750 (London, 2000), 4.

The Age of Literary Accomplishments

 * 1) The Gospel of Zarathushtra by Duncan Greenlees, Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Madras.
 * 2) An Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time by James B. Fraser, Esq., Published by Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh and Simpkin & Marshall, London, 1834.
 * 3)  Pahlavi Texts, Part I: (SBE 5) The Bundahis, Bahman Yast and Shayâst Lâ-Shâyast, E.W.West, 1880.
 * 4)  Pahlavi Texts, Part II (SBE 18) The Dâdistân-î Dînîk and the Epistles of Mânûskîhar, E.W.West, 1882.
 * 5)  Pahlavi Texts, Part III (SBE 24) Dînâ-î Maînôg-î Khirad, Sikand-gûmânîk Vigâr, and the Sad Dar, E.W.West, 1885.
 * 6)  Pahlavi Texts, Part IV (SBE 37) Contents of the Nasks, E.W.West, 1892.
 * 7)   Pahlavi Texts, Part V (SBE 47) Marvels of Zoroastrianism, E.W.West, 1897.

Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution

 * 1) History of Iran, From Iran Chamber website.

Wikipedia Articles

 * History of Iran
 * Zayendeh Rud civilization
 * Jiroft civilization
 * Teppe Sialk