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Ancient Persia

Ancient Persia. Form of Government. ·   Cyrus II- “Cyrus the Great” or “Cyrus the Elder” added northern Mesopotamia, Syria, Canaan, and the Phoenician cities to his empire. He also took over the kingdom of Lydia and the Greek city-states in Asia Minor.

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Ancient Persia

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  1. Ancient Persia

  2. Form of Government ·  Cyrus II- “Cyrus the Great” or “Cyrus the Elder” added northern Mesopotamia, Syria, Canaan, and the Phoenician cities to his empire. He also took over the kingdom of Lydia and the Greek city-states in Asia Minor. ·             In 539 B.C. The Persians (under Cyrus II) came from northeast mountains and seized Babylon, conquering the Chaldean Empire. ·             During 540’s B.C., Cyrus developed a strong army and dominated the Medes (another Indo-European group). ·              The Persian Empire stretched from the Nile River to the Indus River (3,000 miles)

  3. Form of Government Cont. ·       Darius I- Best organizer among Persian kings. ·             Reigned from 522 B.C. – 486 B.C. ·             Divided realm into provinces and assigned satraps. ·       Satraps- provincial governors to rule. ·             The Persians (under Darius) were tolerant rulers who allowed conquered peoples to retain their customs, languages, religions and laws. ·       Darius waged war against the Greeks for control over Asia Minor. ·       After he died, his son Xerxes took over and led the Persians to a disastrous campaign to conquer Greece in 480 B.C.

  4. Mobilization of army: • · Persia was not a big fighting country • · They were only in a few wars • · The leaders at this time did however have their own personal armies consisting of around 10,000 men

  5. Persian Commanders

  6. Cyrus • ·      Developed a strong army, conquered the Medes, and advanced into adjacent land • ·      Cyrus added northern Mesopotamia , Syria , Canaan , and the Phoenician cities to his empire • ·      His son Cambyses conquered Egypt which brought the entire Middle East under Persian control

  7.   Darius • ·      Known for being the best organizer among Persian kings • ·      Divided the empire into provinces and assigned provincial governors to rule • ·      Persian armies could more easily enforce fear and take extreme military measures in separate provinces • ·      Darius waged war against the Greeks for control of the city-states of Asia Minor • ·      After his death his son Xerxes led the Persians into the heart of disaster against the Greeks • ·      Resulted in limited to no expansion into Europe

  8. Economy

  9. Darius • Ordered construction of better roads • Established a system of weights and measures • Started using coins throughout their empire as a universal trade value • Divided Empire into provinces • -Wealth of province determined yearly taxes • Used rules as laws from the people he conquered to please them

  10. Resources

  11. Persian Resources • The Persians had many different resources such as: • Copper, lead, gold, silver, blue lapis lazuli, and silk

  12. Uses for the resources • Lapis lazuli was used for making blue dye • Gold and silver were valuables and not used very often • Copper was used to make appliances and weapons

  13. Form of currency • The Persians were advanced in that they had a form of currency • They had the Daric

  14. Religion

  15. Zoroastrianism • Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions • It was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago.

  16. Beliefs • Zoroastrians believe there is one God called Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and He created the world. • Ahura Mazda revealed the truth through the Prophet, Zoroaster. • Believed in Cosmic Dualism • and Moral Dualism

  17. The Avesta • The Avesta can be roughly split into two main sections: • The Avesta is the oldest and core part of the scriptures, which contains the Gathas. The Gathas are seventeen hymns thought to be composed by Zoroaster himself. • The Younger Avesta - commentaries to the older Avestan written in later years. It also contains myths, stories and details of ritual observances.

  18. Domestic Issues

  19. Domestic Issues6th Century B.C. • 553-550 B.C. • Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) overthrows Median king; becomes ruler of Persia and Media; founds Achaemenid Empire. • 539 B.C. • Cyrus captures Babylon, releases Jews from captivity. • 525 B.C. • Cyrus's son Cambyses II conquers Egypt. • 522 B.C. • Darius I becomes king; establishes and extends empire, carries out administrative reorganization.

  20. Domestic Issues 4th Century B.C. • 334 B.C. • Alexander the Great begins Persian campaign; completes conquest of Persia and Mesoptamia, 330 B.C. • 323 B.C. • Death of Alexander; division of empire among generals; Seleucids emerge as principal heirs in Iran.

  21. Rulers • 559-530 - Cyrus the Great • 529-522 - Cambyses (son) • 522 - Smerdis (Bardiya) (brother) • 521-486 - Darius I, the Great • 485-465 - Xerxes I (son) • 464-424 - Artaxerxes I, Longimanus (son) • 424 - Xerxes II (son) • 424 - Sogdianus (brother) • 423-405 - Darius II, Nothus (brother) • 404-359 - Artaxerxes II, Mnemon (son) • 358-338 - Artaxerxes III (Ochus) (son) • 337-336 - Artaxerxes IV ( Arses) (son) • 335-330 - Darius III (Codomannus) (great-grandson of Darius II)

  22. Wars • 498 BC-Sardis. Persians led by Aristagoras with Athenian and Eretrian allies occupied Sardis. The city was burned and the Greeks met and were defeated by a Persian force. This was the end of the Athenian involvement in the Ionian revolt. • 492 BC-Naxos. Persians invaded; inhabitants fled; the Persians burned the town, but Delos was spared. • 490 BC-Eretria. Persians under Datis (later defeated at Marathon) given the city within a week by traitors. Inhabitants enslaved.

  23. Events

  24. Historical Persian Events • In 590 B.C. Cyrus came to power after overthrowing Medians. • Cyrus conquered the Babylonians, the Lydians, and the Spartans. • Cyrus continued expanding his kingdom from the Indus valley to Anatulia in the west. • His son Cambyses continued to expand by conquering Egypt. • Darius completed the expansion by obtaining India.

  25. The Royal Road • Was built under the rule of Darius I • The Royal Road was the most important rode built in the Persian empire • The rode stretches over 1500 miles • It goes from Persia to Asia minor • It created a must faster way of transportation

  26. Personalities of Major Rulers

  27. Personalities of Major Rulers ·       Cyrus II- though he built a large empire, over-throwing many kingdoms, Cyrus was known for his tolerance and forgiveness. The people he ruled over were warriors and cattle herders, proving that the culture functioned peacefully but was capable of defending itself when necessary, as well as expanding.

  28. Personalities of Major Rulers Cont. ·       Darius I- Like Cyrus, Darius was known to be tolerant. He also respected local customs of the conquered people, believing loyalty could be won more easily with fairness than by fear or force. The people he ruled over included military officials, tax collectors, and artisans as well as others. Together, the artisans Darius brought together built Persepolis, one of the most magnificent cities in the empire. This shows that the culture functioned as a united system, even though the realm was divided into provinces.

  29. The Formation of Alliance • As Vizier, the suggestion to the pharaoh would be to form an alliance with the Persians because of their strong government and military forces.

  30. Sources Sources: Ancient World History: The Human Experience http://www.iranchamber.com/history/darius/darius.php http://www.iranchamber.com/history/darius/darius.php http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/fall026/persians.htm http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/rel232/lectures/Zoroastrianism/today.htm

  31. Sources Cont. • http://www.zoroastrianism.com/ • http://www.avesta.org/ • http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Zoroastrianism/index.aspx • J.B. Bury. A History of Greece. • http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus.php

  32. Sources Cont. • http://www.Slideshow.net • http://www.jmu.edu • http://www.angelfire.com • http://www.publicbookshelf.com

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