Political memory in and after the persian empire

Abstract

Introducción: This volume comprises revised presentations from the 2014 symposium plus an additional contribution by Melanie Wasmuth, this introduction, and an overall critical assessment by R. J. van der Spek, who was also present at the symposium. We regret that not all of the participants of the symposium were able to contribute to this publication, especially with the resulting loss of discussion of certain areas of the empire (sadly even the heartland itself), but we trust the ones collected here profitably explore the issues from a variety of perspectives. The collection begins with a discussion of the Kingdom-cum-Satrapy of Lydia. Eduard Rung considers the notable lack of Lydian independence efforts through two topics; two early appointments by Cyrus the Great (Tabalus and Pactyes) and the early (and only attested) Lydian revolt by Pactyes. In his analysis, native elites were totally replaced from the Lydian administration following the revolt leading to the memory of Croesus's kingdom losing any local political effectiveness.