Includes bibliographical references and index.

Assessing Persian kingship in the Near East: an introduction / Jason M. Silverman and Caroline Waerzeggers -- 1. THE END OF THE LYDIAN KINGDOM AND THE LYDIANS AFTER CROESUS / Eduard Rung -- 2. PERSIAN MEMORIES AND THE PROGRAMMATIC NATURE OF NABATAEAN FUNERARY ARCHITECTURE / Bjørn Anderson -- 3. "I OVERWHELMED THE KING OF ELAM": REMEMBERING NEBUCHADNEZZAR IN PERSIAN BABYLONIA / John P. Nielsen -- 4. HEROES AND SINNERS: BABYLONIAN KINGS IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE PERSIAN AND HELLENISTIC PERIODS / Geert De Breucker -- 5. FACTS, PROPAGANDA, OR HISTORY? SHAPING POLITICAL MEMORY IN THE NABONIDUS CHRONICLE / Caroline Waerzeggers -- 6. PETUBASTIS IV IN THE DAKHLA OASIS: NEW EVIDENCE ABOUT AN EARLY REBELLION AGAINST PERSIAN RULE AND ITS SUPPRESSION IN POLITICAL MEMORY / Olaf E. Kaper -- 7. UDJAHORRESNET ; THE FOUNDER OF THE SAITE-PERSIAN CEMETERY AT ABUSIR AND HIS ENGAGEMENT AS LEADING POLITICAL PERSON DURING THE TROUBLED YEARS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 27TH DYNASTY / Květa Smolørikovø -- 8. MEMORIES OF THE SECOND PERSIAN PERIOD IN EGYPT / Henry P. Colburn -- 9. POLITICAL MEMORY IN THE ACHAEMENID EMPIRE: THE INTEGRATION OF EGYPTIAN KINGSHIP INTO PERSIAN ROYAL DISPLAY / Melanie Wasmuth -- 10. CONFLICTING LOYALTIES: KING AND CONTEXT IN THE ARAMAIC BOOK OF AHIQAR / Seth A. Bledsoe -- 11. ACHAEMENID RELIGIOUS POLICY AFTER THE SELEUCID DECLINE: CASE STUDIES IN POLITICAL MEMORY AND NEAR EASTERN DYNASTIC REPRESENTATION / Benedikt Eckhardt -- 12. MEMORY AND IMAGES OF ACHAEMENID PERSIA IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE / Alesandr V. Makhlaiuk -- 13. YAHWEH'S ANOINTED: CYRUS, DEUTERONOMY'S LAW OF THE KING, AND YEHUDITE IDENTITY / Ian Douglas Wilson -- 14. THE TESTAMENT OF DARIUS (DNA/DNB) AND CONSTRUCTIONS OF KINGS AND KINGSHIP IN 1-2 CHRONICLES / Christine Mitchell -- 15. NO KING IN JUDAH? MASS DIVORCE IN JUDAH AND ATHENS / Lisbeth S. Fried -- 16. REFERENCES TO ZOROASTRIAN BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES OR AN IMAGE OF THE ACHAEMENID COURT IN NEHEMIAH 2:1-10? / Kiyan Foroutan -- 17. FROM REMEMBERING TO EXPECTING THE "MESSIAH": ACHAEMENID KINGSHIP AS (RE)FORMULATING APOCALYPTIC EXPECTATIONS OF DAVID / Jason M. Silverman -- 18. COMING TO TERMS WITH THE PERSIAN EMPIRE: SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS AND RESPONSES / R.J. van der Spek.