Recorded: July 5, 2023
Event: Achaemenid Workshop 2
Citation: Basello, Gian Pietro. "Echoes of the Achaemenid Imperial Signature in the Book of Ezra." Pourdavoud Institute: Achaemenid Workshop 2 (July 5, 2023).
by Gian Pietro Basello (University of Naples)
The local impact of the Achaemenid empire varies according to the environment, urban development and prior political organization of each controlled territory. Anyway, an emphasis on accounting and accountability is shared by different sources, including later and literary ones, from different cultural areas when referring to the Achaemenid empire. The paper analyses some passages of the biblical book of Ezra in this light, emphasizing the echoes of the impact and transformation brought by the Achaemenid dominion on local territories by means of its administration, using the evidence from the Takht-e Jamshid/Persepolis Fortification and Treasury documents as a term of comparison.
About the Speaker
Gian Pietro Basello (PhD in the Ancient Near East, 2005) is Associate Professor (2020–) at “L’Orientale” University of Naples, Italy, where he has been teaching Elamite language since 2010. He has worked since 2003 on the Iranian–Italian joint Project DARIOSH (Digital Achaemenid Royal Inscription Open Schema Hypertext). His researches are also devoted to ancient calendars and systems for recording time.