Clash of East and West

From its earliest beginnings thousands of years ago, the course of man's progress has been measured by his empires. Large, dynamic flows of power, people, and culture that merge, thrive, then break apart - the pieces only to merge again in a new configuration, the process to be repeated. Through pictures and words, "Empires: Their Rise and Fall" brings the reader face to face with many of the world's greatest empires. Full-color photographs are combined with an absorbing narrative in a lively historical account of each empire and an examination of the period's most enduring cultural achievements. This volume in the series focuses on The Persians, and Imperial Greece. Native talent and natural resources were seemingly inexhaustible in ancient Persia, and the Persian legacy reveals a remarkable bent for organization and invention as well. Upon extending their reach to the Mediterranean and the borders of India, they transmitted their culture's achievements in agriculture, mathematics, and astronomy. But, as Persia is perhaps most often remembered as a culture that recognized the value of assimilation, the Greek culture always remained closely attached to the homeland. Assimilation, in the case of the Greeks, meant the adoption of the Greek way of thinking. If the Greeks had given us nothing beyond the principle of democratic government, their contribution to the course of mankind still would be incomparable, and their position in the firmament of empires would be secure. Add the timeless beauty of Greek art, the genius of Greek architecture, and impressive achievements in medicine, drama, philosophy, and science - and you have described one of the cornerstones of modern civilization.