Towards the end of the fifth century BCE, Ctesias of Cnidus wrote his twenty-three book History of Persia. Ctesias is a remarkable figure. He lived and worked in the Persian court of the Achaemenid monarchs and, as a doctor, tended to the world's most powerful kings and queens. His position gave him special insight into the workings of Persian court life and court politics. His History of Persia was completed at a time when the Greeks were fascinated by Persia and seems, on one level, to cater to contemporary interest in Persian wealth and opulence, powerful Persian women, the institution of the harem, kings and queens, eunuchs and secret plots. Presented here in an unabridged English translation for the first time with an extensive introduction, Ctesiass History of Persia: Tales of the Orient offers a fascinating insight into Persia in the fifth century BCE and re-evaluates Ctesias' legacy as a historian of the ancient Near East. - Back cover.