Contesti e valore storico delle tradizioni sulla Persia achemenide nel libro VII delle Storie di Erodoto

The relevance of Herodotus’ contribution to Achaemenid history can hardly be underestimated since about half of his text deals with Persia and Persians. This article offers a brief review of what Herodotus says about Persia in Book 7, paying special attention to the historical contexts to which the traditions he uses may be referred, and considering his presentation of Persia and its empire in the light of the interaction between Persians, Greeks and local populations in the Anatolia during the Persian period as attested also by the archaeological evidence.