To know each nation, it is necessary to examine two areas; First, “the nation's image of itself" and second, "the view of others or foreigners towards them”. Although the people of any society are aware of the inner layers of "themselves", there are also details and subtleties that are evident only in the view of "others" on "themselves" and cannot be ignored; Because these details can be very influential in the final analysis of the knowledge of that society. In this article, an attempt has been made to analyze the prominent and specific axes that are reflected in the image of "Iranians of the ancient period" in the writings of "historians and foreign tourists of their time".
The reviewed works are the documents belonging to ancient Greek and Roman writers such as Herodotus, Xenophon, Plutarch, Procopius, Strabo, Ammianus Marcellinus, Aeschylus, etc. The reflected image of Iranians means traditions, characteristics, habits, and outstanding behavioral characteristics that are generally expressed about Iranians (both common people and kings, etc.). The method of data collection is library-based and the research method is qualitative analysis with thematic analysis strategy. The findings show that the authors of ancient Greece and Rome paid more attention to the axes of tradition, customs, characteristics and habits of Iranians. In the meantime, the approach of each writer, in accordance with her work situation and the context of her thinking, has been influential in the attention and selection of axes and characteristics.