THE PERSIANS GEOGRAPHY ACHAEMENID EMPIRE n Persians and

THE PERSIANS

GEOGRAPHY

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE n Persians and Medes are Iranians, related to Indo. Europeans

PERSIAN KINGS n Cyrus the Great (reigned 558 -530 B. C. E. ) – Became the king of the Persians in 558 B. C. E. , all Medes in 548 BCE – Established vast empire stretching from India to Mediterranean § Looting and burning not allowed! § Honored local customs – Viewed favorably in the OT: allowed Jews in Babylon to return home § Cyrus thought their God to be an ally of his god With a partner, discuss whether Cyrus was truly “great. ” Compare him with Alexander.

PERSIAN KINGS n Cambyses II, son of Cyrus (re. 530 -522 B. C. E. ) – Conquered Egypt in 525 BCE n Opposite of his dad… – Everyone hated him. – Not a kind king. Looted, burned, pillaged – Ridiculed Egyptian polytheism and ordered for the images of their gods to be burned

PERSIAN KINGS n Darius I [duh-RYE-us] reigned 521 -486 B. C. E. – With his Ten Thousand Immortals, he rose to power – Built the largest empire in world history § § Expanded to the Indus Valley 2500 miles in length – Ruled more than 70 ethnic groups – Built new capital at Persepolis, 520 B. C. E.

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE UNDER DARIUS I

n You have just created the largest empire the world has ever seen. With a partner, discuss how you would control and maintain such an empire. – Be specific! Formulate at least eight means of controlling a large area

POLITICS n Darius divided the empire into 23 satrapies – Satraps (governors) § Appointed by the central government – Satraps' power § Represent Emperor, maintain defense, collect taxes § Checked by military officers and "imperial spies“ – “King’s Eyes and Ears”

POLITICS n n n Replaced irregular tribute payments with formal taxes Standardization of coins and laws Communication systems n Military: largest in history until Romans, Chinese – Persian Royal Road links Susa (Asia Minor, Lydia to Susa, in Persia) – Common levies from each province – Persian cavalry; Persian Immortals: elite shock troops – Mercenaries included Greeks

Agriculture was the economic foundation § Main crops: Barley and wheat n Trade § Political stability promoted growth of trade § Standardized coins (Gold Darics were first in world), good trade routes ECONOMY

RELIGION Religious beliefs put forward by the Persian thinker Zarathustra n ZOROASTRIANISM n One god, six lesser deities n – Ahura Mazda – god of light and good – Ahriman – god of dark and evil – Eternal fight of good vs. evil – people must choose a side

ZOROASTRIANISM n Zoroastrian teachings n Popularity of Zoroastrianism – Heavenly paradise and hellish realm as reward and punishment – The material world as a blessing – Good vs. evil – whose side are you on? – – – Attracted Persian aristocrats and ruling elites Darius regarded Ahura Mazda as supreme God Sizable followings in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, and other regions – Assimilated with many other local religions § Conflicted with…

Comparison: Religion “Then at Thy command shall the Good Mind establish the Kingdom of Heaven, O Mazda. ” n “Long punishment for the evil-doer, and bliss for the follower of truth, the joy of salvation for the Righteous ever afterwards. ” n “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’s sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. ” n “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: : for great is your reward in Heaven…” n Is a dualistic model more effective than a polytheistic model in uniting civilizations? Explain.

SOCIETY n TOLERANCE – Under Cyrus and Darius, conquered people allowed to practice their local customs and traditions § Huge melting pot of beliefs and customs § Spread and mix of art, religion, architecture, food, mixed races and ethnic groups

PERSEPOLIS

THE WARS WITH GREECE

THE WARS WITH GREECE n The Persian Wars (500 -479 B. C. E. ) – Ionian Greeks rebelled – Greek free city states sent aid to rebels – Persian rulers put down rebellion n Darius invaded Greece to punish Greeks – Won battle of Thermopylae n Xerxes – Lost both land sea battles to Greeks § Battles of Marathon – Phalanxes proved Greek might § Battle of Salamis – definitive battle; Athenian naval prowess

Decline and Fall n Empire became too big to control n Lack of leadership – Incompetent rulers after Xerxes n Persian Wars n Alexander the Great

ALEXANDER AND HIS HEIRS n Alexander of Macedon – Invaded Persia in 334 B. C. E. – Battle of Gaugamela, ended Achaemenid empire, 331 B. C. E. – Alexander burned the city of Persepolis, conquered whole empire n What happened to Alexander? n No heirs… four strongest generals divide the empire n Persia divided into four empires – n n Ptolemaic Seleucid Pergamon Macedonia