Professor John W. I. Lee, Department of History, UCSB

Western stereotypes of Ancient Persia often focus on images of exotic harems, scheming queens, and decadent court life. Professor Lee explains what ancient textual and archaeological sources reveal about women’s lives in Achaemenid Persia. He examines the economic, political, and social power of women across the powerful Empire. Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, it was one of the largest empires in history, going from the Aegean Sea region in the west to the highlands of Iran in the east.