HERITAGE

Greece vs Persia etc.

Fair enough.  But the author seems to imply that all of Greece was incorporated into Persia.  I'm not sure that colonies count.  That's an interesting point about Xerxes' admiral at Salamis.  Thanks for the enlightenment.

Mr. Atahouri, excuse me what is "Farsi"? I don't find it in the

English dictionary!  You want to glorify the Persian history, yet deny its legitimate name?  Fars? There was no Fars then, it was Pars! As you might know the arabs coudn't pronounce the "P", after islamic invasion, then the p changed to F. However, since we writing in ENGLISH, it is called Persia and........ Unless, you are writing for Iranians only which in that case, why don't your write in persian?

Spike, Achaemenian Greek subjects

Yes, very good

Genghis khan's mother was also a maid in the palace of the Mohammad Khaarazm Shah and was impregnated by the king one night when he was drunk. The king later sacked Genghis's mother to avoid the embarrassment. And there you go, Genghis was also son of an Iranian king who came to claim his throne. Do I need to tell you who the real father of Saed Ibn Abi Vaghas was? I got it from the same source that the author has used for the Alexander story.

FYI/How Art Made the World: The Art of Persuasion (BBC)

This should interest you in this regard ...

BBC Documentary - How Art Made the World: The Art of Persuasion 1/2 :

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qik72byILJ0

BBC Documentary - How Art Made the World: The Art of Persuasion 2/2:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uvryQJegcY&feature=related

Alexander the Great went one step further than Darius in developing the political logo. A brilliant military strategist, Alexander set his sights on capturing the Persian empire around 330 BC, and within a few short years defeated the Persian armies and captured Persepolis. As a foreign invader, Alexander knew he had to win the hearts and minds of his new subjects, and he clearly understood the power of the logo art technique used by Darius. But Alexander had to come up with his own image unique -- and he did, he minted his own face on a coin. He instinctively understood that the human face was a powerful tool, and that people were influenced by what they saw in it.

But Alexander's political portrait - something entirely revolutionary at the time - wasn't thought up over night. On the contrary, from a small ivory head of Alexander's found in his father's tomb, it became clear to archeologist that Alexander's image had been designed for him long before he ever went to war with the Persians.

Greece was part of Iran?

When did the Persians succeed in their attempted invasions of Greece?  I guess we've forgotten about Salamis and Marathon.  What about the battle of the Granicus?  And Iranianduee3, don't worry, the US will be back on it's feet soon.  I'm sorry you hate the country that played such a leading role in the elimination of Nazism, Communism etc.  If the US is so bad, why are so many people from all over the world literally dying to come live here?  True, we've only got a couple hundred years under our belts, but you can't hold us responsible for the date of our birth.  

Raoul

I had to laugh. You clearly haven't talked to enough Italians or Indians! These people have just as much pride as your average Iranian does in his nation's ancient accomplishments. To assert otherwise is flat-out misinformed opinion.

Which brings up a larger point about self-loathing among Iranians. Why is it that those of us such as Raoul insist on projecting negative attributes exclusively to Iranians ("being so absorbed by mythology, fairytales and stories about the past") and positive ones to other nationalities ("never brag about their past...how successful they are today")?

There are plenty of successful Iranians out there today who have plenty to offer the world such as advancements in physics (Camran Vafa, co-theorizer of Vafa-Witten Theorem), medicine (Tofy Mussivand, inventor of the world's first artifical heart device), journalism (Christiane Amanpour, CNN correspondent) athletics (Leila Vaziri, world record holder in the 50m backstroke, Hossein Rezazadeh, Olympic Gold-Medalist and World-Record holding weightlifter) technology (Rouzbeh Yassini, inventor of the cable modem), business (Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay) and a plethora of other filmmakers, musicians, authors and intellectuals. India, Italy and Egypt are by no means successful, democratic states and are extremely dysfunctional. All three of them are run by wildly corrupt governments. Of course the IRI is downright evil, but let's try not to romanticize, shall we? The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

And while we're on the topic, let's not forget that the heritage of India that you describe as being "far superior to any nation" has deep Persian roots, from its venerated Persianate Mughalai cuisine with its fluffy Polos and yogurt and Murgh chicken dishes, to its Urdu Ghazal poetry to the tones of the Setar, to the de facto symbol of India itself, the Taj Mahal, more reminiscent of Isfahan than Delhi or Mumbai, designed in classical Persian style by Persian architects as a monument of love to Shah Jahan's (oh look, they borrowed our language, too!)  Persian wife. I guess it's OK for you to admire all of that, but when it's Iranians doing it with regard to their own culture it bothers you? Curious.

So yes, all of the nations you mentioned, Iran included, have reasons to be proud, past & present; maybe actually talk to a few Italians or Indians or Egyptians about their history, and you'll see the same sense of slightly (and for the most part, harmlessly) over-inflated pride.

The last thing we need is another self-loathing Iranian.

Good blog

Thanks for this informative piece.

Raoul1955, you obviously haven't been in any of those countries that you claim do not "brag" about their history, culture, and international influences. What exists as historical "brag" (as you call it) is far more available in articles, blogs, and common individual in their native lands compared to Iran. I believe that we actually do not "brag" as much as we should.

What we were has nothing to do with what we are today, but can lead us to believe that some residents in that great land were able to overcome obstacles (as many other great nations had) to be called the great Persian Empire: one of largest in the world.

Cheers to you.

Much appreciated humanbeing

ari, mehman

time to hit the books! i'll get back to you guys with some 'materiel' once i collect it.

yes

But I don't know how much he varied the plot of the novel.

Thanks Mehman

humanbeing

Do you know of other Alexander myths that legitimzie him as a Persian king? 

آری

منبع: شاهنامه

منبع شاهنامه: یک رمان رومی ترجمه شده در زمان فردوسی به علاوه تخیل خود شاعر: نامعتبر از لحاظ تاریخی

Raoul

What does the U.s have to offer the world even today? The sec your military and economy collapses on it's ass, you'll have absolutely nothing to be proud of, no culture, and horrible history of greedy degenerates making a bastard of a nation of racists, whores, and low-lives, that's how America's viewed through out the world and will be til the end of human existence. 

yes, the sources

of the darius iii story would be interesting. what do they say in the shahname? there are so many narratives of alexander, and it is a typical motif of heroizing the life of an historical figure by giving him regal or divine paternity. in the countless versions of the alexander romance tradition, a variety of paternity versions are offerred, including 'nectanebo' the egyptian. depends on the agenda of the narrator/compilator. i think even in the persian version of the alexander romance, the 'iskandarname', nectanebo comes up again. i am not near any sources at this very moment, but shooting from the hip. i will try to check the narrative of arrian, who is considered a 'no-nonsense' historian (my least favourite type of source, but anyway good for the counterpoint).

btw ari, the plutarch life is my favourite of the myriad alexander narratives.  in it alexander's persona is modelled (a bit deliberately, but who cares?) on achilles.

Raoul: The size and extent of ancient persin empire

is neither a myth nor a fairy tale. It is a historical fact. Let me know if you need any reference on further reading about the ancient history of Iran and I'd be glad to supply you with.

But I have to agree with you on the unhealthy obsession with ancient history that some of my compatriots seem to suffer from at the expense of ignoring recent events. But in my experience only a small minority of Iranians think this way. It just happens they mostly live abroad and you must have come across them.

The vast majority of iranisns are very much concerned with the state of their country and where it is going to under the islamic regime. This is why we had millions on the streets just a year ago in Iran demmanding an end to this regime. Just watch the space.

Darius III was not Alexander's father, but neither was Philip.

Iran consisted of

the whole ancient world.  LOL.
Have you ever wondered why Italians never brag about the Roman Empire, or Indians bring up their x000 years of history and how rich their culture is, and how successful they are today?  Most of our medical program students are those whose parents or grandparents immigrated from India to America.  They never bring up India although their heritage is far superior to any other nation.   I must add that they were a British colony for decades, but never complain about the British.
Chinese have had x000 years of history and within one generation they transformed from being perceived as drug users to populating our universities as postdocs, researchers, or professors.  They never bring up their x000 years of history!  Ancient Egyptians enjoyed a very rich civilization with architectural marvels that baffle scientists even today, but you never see Egyptians going around and bragging about their x000 years of history.  
Next time when you hear a so-called Iranian bring up x000 years of history and such, the most appropriate response could be: 'And what exactly do you folks have to offer the world NOW, other than hostage taking [they still have three of our hikers in their prison], support for international terrorism, and total lack of respect for human rights?'
Perhaps these people should focus on now and the near future rather than being so absorbed by mythology, fairytales, and stories about the past.
Cheers now,
The one and only Raoul  :-)