"In The Aura of Kings, Abolala Soudavar traces the symbolism of the farr - or Divine Glory - to its early origins and demonstrates its continuity across Iranian history. This important and very readable study sheds new light on the formulation and development of the symbolism of kingship in Iran and her geo-cultural neighbors, and contributes toward a better understanding of the Iranian worldview in general, and the propagation of the aura as a visual symbol of farr in particular."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The role of kings, the source of their authority and the nature of the practical restraints on their power have exercised political and religious philosophers, historians, competing candidates for rule and subject populations from the time of the earliest documented human societies. How the kingly image is created and presented and how the ruler performs his or her function as the source of justice are among the topics addressed in this volume, which also covers the role of queens in maintaining dynastic succession yet being the target of tales of adultery. This volume is of particular interest in bringing together studies of kingly power from Cyrus the Great and Alexander in the ancient world to Shah Abbas in the seventeenth century, and covering the European Middle Ages as well as Iran and the Muslim world.
The Book of Consciousness by Dr. Bara H. Loveland Have you ever wondered what Consciousness is, or the mind, the unconscious or Archetypes and Symbols – how they work and how to define these? Without arriving at the reach of Consciousness, there are numerous books on "consciousness;" there are conferences held, and groups searching for "consciousness," with dictionaries attempting to define it. Why have they not found the ultimate definition of Consciousness, to this day of the publication of The Book of Consciousness, in January 2011? Could Bara’s new book, The Book of Consciousness, hold the answer? Can it deliver the ultimate in Consciousness? There are many other questions, which science has not positively answered yet. Why is it that our “brain” (cerebrum), seat of the mind, has to be calmed from 40+ Hertz to 8 Hertz or less (literally put to sleep), in order to reach highest states of awareness, although the cerebrum is supposed to be the seat of the world ́s highest intelligence? Why is this "seat of highest intelligence" polluting the earth to the brink of dying of life? Why is the unconscious called unconscious, when it is able to construct meaningful dreams; and is there a difference between an Archetype and a Symbol, appearing in dreams and myths? Could a neurosis not be a disease? And what is it the mind really knows? Profound contemplation of Consciousness must lead to further questions about the origins of Archetypes and Symbols, about wisdom and similarities of ancient Stone Age Symbols, East Indian and Egyptian scriptures, Runes, Mayan glyphs and biblical Symbols, or world religions in general. One may wonder, why an Egyptian god is frequently named in Christian churches, and is mentioned in both, the Old and the New Testaments. Is God “He,” and could “He” exist? Could there be a different world behind our visible one, and could we have “Bio*Modulators” to sense the other world? What can we learn form a Germanic “king?” Is it possible that we have more than five senses and how many diseases could naturally exist? Can the DNA communicate, and how many laws exist in the universe? What is the meaning of certain Bible verses, and what could have been the message, Jesus gave the world on the cross? Is New Age wisdom contained in the Bible, and could it be that common science limits itself, when excluding miracles it could perform with ease, protecting the animals from harm? Are there more levels of logic than one? How could we realize or activate them? What is the role, our belief plays in our life and in science? The Book of Consciousness begins where common science ends. Be surprised by the innovative answers, with some published about 30 years ago by this author! Be captivated by the author’s authentic, new style; by the insights, humor and vivid experiences, enjoy the 40 figures and tables, as well as exercises, to reach altered states of awareness—naturally and at will. May The Book of Consciousness raise into Oneness the conscious of all those who read its 640 pages; may they be the "igniters," inspiring divine Oneness and Love in the perception of all! Genre: Specialty Books
Sophist Kings: Persians as Other sets forth a reading of Herodotus' Histories that highlights the consistency with which the Persians are depicted as sophists and Persian culture is infused with a sophistic ideology. The Persians as the Greek 'other' have a crucial role throughout Herodotus' Histories, but their characterisation is far divorced from historical reality. Instead, from their first appearance at the beginning of the Histories, Herodotus presents the Persians as adept in the argumentation of Greek sophists active in mid-5th century Athens. Moreover, Herodotus' construct of the Sophist King, in whom political reason serves human ambition, is used to explain the Achaemenid model of kingship whose rule is grounded in a theological knowledge of cosmic order and of divine justice as the political good. This original and in-depth study explores how the ideology which Herodotus ascribes to the Persians comes directly from fifth-century sophists whose arguments served to justify Athenian imperialism. The volume connects the ideological conflict between panhellenism and imperialism in Herodotus' contemporary Greece to his representation of the past conflict between Greek freedom and Persian imperialism. Detecting a universal paradigm, Sophist Kings argues that Herodotus was suggesting the Athenians should regard their own empire as a betrayal of the common cause by which they led the Greeks to victory in the Persian wars.
A King's death was a critical and highly dramatic moment, often with major political consequences. This is an account of what is known about the deaths of all medieval English kings.
This book examines community identity in the post-exilic temple community in Ezra-Nehemiah, and explores the possible influences that the Achaemenids, the ruling Persian dynasty, might have had on its construction. In the book, David Janzen reads Ezra-Nehemiah in dialogue with the Achaemenids' Old Persian inscriptions, as well as with other media the dynasty used, such as reliefs, seals, coins, architecture, and imperial parks. In addition, he discusses the cultural and religious background of Achaemenid thought, especially its intersections with Zoroastrian beliefs. Ezra-Nehemiah, Janzen argues, accepts Achaemenid claims for the necessity and beneficence of their hegemony. The result is that Ezra-Nehemiah, like the imperial ideology it mimics, claims that divine and royal wills are entirely aligned. Ezra-Nehemiah reflects the Achaemenid assertion that the peoples they have colonized are incapable of living in peace and happiness without the Persian rule that God established to benefit humanity, and that the dynasty rewards the peoples who do what they desire, since that reflects divine desire. The final chapter of the book argues that Ezra-Nehemiah was produced by an elite group within the Persian-period temple assembly, and shows that Ezra-Nehemiah's pro-Achaemenid worldview was not widely accepted within that community.
A reappraisal of Lope's literary career, bringing out the complexities of his dramatic texts. This book offers a radical re-evaluation of Lope's theatre, which will affect the way in which the comedia in general is read. It spans Lope's literary career, discussing (pseudo-)historical, tragic and peasant plays in order to show Lope's texts as complex negotiations between author and public, between conservatism and subversion, between representations of the ideal of kingship and its political reality, in a period of social and political change. Drawing on contemporary Spanish political philosophy, McKendrick shows that far from glorifying monarchy and advocating absolutism (the orthodox view in the Hispanic world), Lope's political plays constitute an informed critiqueof kingship; she also challenges the received wisdom that the comedia was an instrument of stage and that its playwrights were the conscious propagandists of an aristocratic elite. With the help of insights and models provided by the speech act theory, the stratagems and techniques utilised by Lope to follow the path of prudence between the acceptable and the unacceptable in political commentary in the commercial theatre are scrutinised, illustrating how richly nuanced texts produce not an ideologically monolithic and complacent drama but one which is at once politically anxious and probing. MELVEENA MCKENDRICK is Professor of Spanish Literature, Culture and Societyat the University of Cambridge.
The men who fought in Napoleon’s Grande Armée built a new empire that changed the world. Remarkably, the same men raised arms during the French Revolution for liberté, égalité, and fraternité. In just over a decade, these freedom fighters, who had once struggled to overthrow tyrants, rallied to the side of a man who wanted to dominate Europe. What was behind this drastic change of heart? In this ground-breaking study, Michael J. Hughes shows how Napoleonic military culture shaped the motivation of Napoleon’s soldiers. Relying on extensive archival research and blending cultural and military history, Hughes demonstrates that the Napoleonic regime incorporated elements from both the Old Regime and French Revolutionary military culture to craft a new military culture, characterized by loyalty to both Napoleon and the preservation of French hegemony in Europe. Underscoring this new, hybrid military culture were five sources of motivation: honor, patriotism, a martial and virile masculinity, devotion to Napoleon, and coercion. Forging Napoleon's Grande Armée vividly illustrates how this many-pronged culture gave Napoleon’s soldiers reasons to fight.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.
