
THE - HISTORY OF ANTIQUITY. - FROM THE GERMAN - OF - PROFESSOR MAX DUNCKER,
VOL. V.
LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY & SON, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen. 1881.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: Footnotes have been renumbered and moved to the end of the chapters in this HTML version. Obvious errors in punctuation have been silently corrected. Other than that, printer's inconsistencies in spelling, hyphenation, and ligature usage have been retained.
EASTERN IRAN.
CHAPTER I. - THE LAND AND THE TRIBES.
CHAPTER II. - THE KINGDOM OF THE BACTRIANS.
CHAPTER III. - THE SCRIPTURES OF IRAN.
CHAPTER IV. - ZARATHRUSTRA AND THE DATE OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE AVESTA.
CHAPTER V. - THE GODS OF THE ARIANS IN IRAN.
This volume offers a meticulous portrait of the Iranian plateau as it appeared in antiquity, guiding listeners through a landscape that stretches from the Indus valley to the Euphrates and Tigris. The narration walks you across soaring highlands, fertile valleys, and stark deserts, highlighting how elevation, climate, and water sources shaped the region’s character. Detailed observations reveal the stark contrasts between the lush, forested mountains of the north and the arid, desert‑like south, while vivid descriptions of seasonal storms and clear, star‑filled skies bring the ancient environment to life.
Beyond geography, the work delves into the peoples who once inhabited these varied terrains, noting their shared language and closely linked tribal affiliations. By mapping the natural corridors and formidable passes that linked remote valleys, the author illuminates how geography dictated patterns of settlement, agriculture, and movement. Listeners will come away with a richer appreciation of how the land itself forged the cultural and historical tapestry of early Iran.
Language
en
Duration
~11 hours (636K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Adrian Mastronardi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
Dec 4, 2011
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1811–1886
A major 19th-century German historian and public figure, he is best remembered for sweeping studies of the ancient world and for moving between scholarship and politics with unusual ease. His work helped shape how many readers of his time understood early civilizations and the rise of states.
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