The Mechanism of N2O Decomposition on Fe-ZSM-5: An Isotope Labeling Study

The mechanism of N2O decomposition over an 18O-labeled Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst was studied. The isotope distribution of the O2 produced during N2O decomposition was statistical. This shows that O2 was formed from a pool of equilibrated surface oxygen atoms. The size of the pool was 1.0 O/Fe, i.e. most or all of the iron clusters took part in the reaction. The reactivity of the oxygen atoms in the pool was low. They did not exchange with 18O2 to a significant exten

Nikolaus Leo Overtoom. “The Power-Transition Crisis of the 160s–130s BCE and the Formation of the Parthian Empire”

The article discusses the rise of the Parthians to power over large territories in the Middle East at the expense of their Seleucid rivals. The author borrows a framework from International Relations theory, namely (Offensive) Realism, to place the actions of the Parthian kings, in particular Mithridates I in their wider geo-political environment. While the resulting account is rather close to a traditional (positivist) political history, the explicit reference to political science theory all..

Mark Tamerus. “Labour in the Achaemenid Heartland”

This contribution focuses on the informative value of the Persepolitan archives on the question of labour in the areas under their purview. The A. briefly introduces both Fortification and Treasury Archive, discussing the ration system, i.e., the disbursal of foodstuffs to various types of workers, and pointing out the limits of the archive as exemplified by animal husbandry, which he classifies as external to the archives’ main scope. He emphasizes the terminological difficulties involved wh..

John Hyland. “The Achaemenid Messenger System and the Ionian Revolt: New Evidence from the Persepolis Fortification Archive”

This article deals with the pirradaziš, translated as ‘express messengers’, attested in the Persepolis Fortification tablets, and the role these persons may have played in the wars waged in the imperial periphery, most notably Ionia. The author identifies an interesting small dossier of texts issues of travel rations on royal roads for such pirradaziš. This dossier attests to missions sent back and forth between Darius and his brother Artaphernes, satrap of Sardis in the run-up to the conques..

Małgorzata Sandowicz. “Artapanos in Babylonia”

This contribution contains an edition and brief discussion of a legal record – a summons to court – from the archive of the Egibi family. The text dates late in the reign of Darius I and mentioning a high-ranking Persian official by the name of Artappanu (Greek Artapanos), who was to preside of the court proceedings. After reviewing the pertinent evidence, the author concludes that it is unlikely that this official can be identified with known bearers of the names, such as Artapanos, son of A..

Eran Almagor. Plutarch and the Persica

This book provides an investigation of Plutarch’s use of earlier Persica in his biography of Artaxerxes II, with pride of place dedicated to his adaptions of passages culled from the works of Ctesias and Deinon. Throughout the volume, the A. stresses the fact that Plutarch often significantly re-elaborated his source texts, rather than simply stringing together loosely related passages. Plutarch’s work method is one of the core questions of this monograph; conversely, the A. is also intereste..

Lisbeth S. Fried. “The Construction of Public Works in the Persian Empire: Nehemiah’s Wall as a Test Case”

L. Fried provides a re-analysis of Nehemiah’s account of the construction of Jerusalem’s city-wall (Neh. 3). Against a recent suggestion by O. Lipschits, according to whom the building work was financed (חזק) by wealthy citizens, she argues that the repairs were undertaken within the context of imperial taxation, in form of corvée labour as denoted by Akkadian ilku and Aramaic halak. With this aim, she points out parallels in the documentation from elsewhere in the Achaemenid Empire, in parti..

Irene Madreiter. “Der Raum alltäglicher weiblicher Literalität im Achaimeniden-Reich”

This contribution assesses the significance of literacy in the Achaemenid Empire. In the A.’s view, the ability to read and write was not held in high esteem among the Persians (p.123) and consequently, there was little scope for literacy in private contexts, which in turn explains the absence of evidence for female literateness. In the imperial context, writing predominantly served as a technology of social and political control (p. 129). The situation in the Persian heartland is then contra..