Rolf StrootmanRolf Strootman graduated in ancient history and archaeology at the University of Leiden. In 2007 he received his PhD for a study of court culture in the Hellenistic period. He is currently a lecturer at the History Department of the University of Utrcht. His research and teaching focus on empire, monarchical ritual and cultural encounters in the Near East, Iran and Central Asia, and on modern western perceptions of the Middle East. Read More Read Less