The Achaemenid Persian Empire and World History

Bi-annual Sancisi-Weerdenburg Lecture

RMO: Taffeh Hall

16:30 - 19:30

Miguel John Versluys

Persepolis. Hypostyle hall of Xerxes. Perspective view. Restoration by Ch. Chipiez. Ch. Chipiez del., J. Penel sc. in Histoire de l'art dans l'antiquité, tome V, Paris, Hachette, 1890, plate V

Relations between the Persians and the Greeks have long constituted a central subject of scholarly inquiry, from the works of Herodotus to contemporary studies of antiquity. For much of this period, the discourse was dominated by a predominantly Greek perspective. The emergence of the New Achaemenid History introduced an alternative interpretative framework, shifting attention toward Persian viewpoints and sources. As a result, however, Persian–Greek interactions remain a focal point of academic debate, albeit now examined through a more diversified lens.

In this lecture, I propose the necessity of advancing this discussion further by effectively ‘provincializing Greece’ and adopting a global, Afro-Eurasian perspective. The rise of the Achaemenid Persian empire as a central nexus of markets and trade routes across Afro-Eurasia constituted a pivotal development, a crucial breakthrough, in the globalization in the ancient world. Not without reason the Achaemenid concept of empire was universalistic; the Persian kings considered themselves rulers of ‘the world’. The point is not that their conclusions are now understood to have been erroneous, but rather that the global had come to be recognized as a distinct conceptual category alongside the local and the regional.

This raises several critical questions: What was the nature of this world around 500 BCE and to what extent did it function as an interconnected global network centered on the Achaemenid Persian empire? What kind of (cognitive) impact did the emergence of the idea of universalism have? And how should the significance of the Achaemenid Persian empire be situated within the broader framework of world history, particularly in relation to our understanding of the ancient world?

Prof. Dr Miguel John Versluys is Professor of Classical & Mediterranean Archaeology at Leiden University’s Faculty of Archaeology.

Practical information

The Sancisi-Weerdenburg Lecture 2026 will be held as a hybrid event. Please join us!

Date: Monday 8 June 2026
Venue: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden or online via livestream
Time: doors open at 16.30 hrs; lecture 17.00 hrs, drinks afterwards from 18.00 hrs, doors close at 19.30 hrs
Main language: English
Admission: free – registration required

Registration to attend the lecture in person: via the RMO website. Registration to follow the livestream (via WebinarGeek): via the RMO website.

Bi-annual Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg Lecture

This bi-annual lecture, a recurring event in memory of Prof. Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg (1944–2000), is organised by the Netherlands Institute for the Near East in cooperation with the National Museum of Antiquities and members of the Sancisi family.

Prof. H.W.A.M. Sancisi-Weerdenburg was Professor of Ancient History at Utrecht University. The first memorial lecture was held in June 2010 and initiated by her two children. All are welcome to attend the lecture.

Tweejaarlijkse Heleen-Sancisi-Weerdenburg-lezing

Deze terugkerende lezing ter nagedachtenis aan prof. Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg (1944-2000), wordt georganiseerd door het NINO i.s.m. het RMO en de familie Sancisi.

Prof. H.W.A.M. Sancisi-Weerdenburg was hoogleraar Oude Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit Utrecht. De eerste lezing in haar gedachtenis vond plaats in juni 2010, op initiatief van de beide kinderen van mevrouw Sancisi-Weerdenburg. Alle geïnteresseerden zijn van harte uitgenodigd.

Sancisi-Weerdenburg-lezing 2026

Spreker: Miguel John Versluys
Datum: maandag 8 juni 2026
Locatie: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden of volg de lezing via livestream
Tijd: inloop vanaf 16.30u; lezing 17.00u, borrel na afloop vanaf 18.00u; einde 19.30u
Voertaal: Engels
Entree: gratis – aanmelding verplicht

Aanmelden voor bijwonen in het museum: via de RMO-website.
Aanmelden voor de livestream (via WebinarGeek): via de RMO-website.

Back to overview