Briant, P. 2002.

From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire (tr. by P. T. Daniels of

Histoire de l’Empire perse . Paris: Libraire Arthème Fayard, 1996). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.

Fullest (1,196 pages), best-documented account available, unlikely to be bettered. The author does not see serious difficulties in the empire even after Alexander had entered Anatolia. Briant has also written two accounts of Alexander: an excellent, very concise study for the French Que sais-je? series,

Alexandre Le Grand (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1974, sixth ed. 2005) and

Alexander the Great: The Heroic Ideal (French edition 1987; English edition, London: Thames and Hudson, 1996).

Cawkwell, G. 2005.

The Greek Wars: The Failure of Persia.

Oxford: Oxford University

Useful summary that discloses several serious flaws in the empire, such as the internal disorder that often accompanied accessions. See esp. chapter 10, “The End of the Achaemenids: Macedonia and

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