Ancient Iran at War

Shadows of the Desert is a work by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh that addresses the performance of “Ancient Iran at War.” The story of “Shadows of the Desert” begins from the earliest history of Iran; the misty and obscure ancient times, before the Achaemenid dynasty brought glory to Iran. Dr. Kaveh Farrokh briefly discusses the importance of the Median Empire, and then the book covers the three main Persian ruling dynasties as well as brief periods of Iran under the control of foreigners and Greeks. The author covers issues related to military technology, problems of cohesion and political legitimacy, the tendency of many rulers to resort to a wide and diverse range of cultures within different Persian empires, the priests’ inclination to implement Zoroastrianism strictly, and also the tension between the monarchy, nobility, and family members who often killed their own relatives as rivals for the throne. The author discusses battles on both fronts of Iran, revealing the demographic weaknesses of Iran and its divided attention between western forces with heavy infantry traditions and the Central Asian tribal confederations with numerous cavalry forces. Based on the book’s content, the title seems to refer to the fact that among many westerners, the Iranian army is formed from shadows in the desert, something barely and vaguely known. The author’s effort to find images and evidence of the appearance of the Iranian army throughout various periods of its history, even looking at historical reconstructions of the 2,500th anniversary of Persepolis, is deserving of credit.