22396696 the Persian Empire

8/4/2019 22396696 the Persian Empire

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The Persian Empire


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Medes and Persians The Medes and Persians were among the groups of Indo-

Europeans speaking tribes that migrated around 2000 B.C.E.

In 612, Medes, Scythians, and Babylonians jointly attackedand took Niheveh, officially ending the Assyrian Empire.

Medes lasted only 30 years (585-550). Under the rule of their

King Astyages, their Persian subjects rebelled under Cyrus(from the house of Achaemens.)


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OrAchaemenid Empire(558-330 B.C.)

Medes and Persians migrated from centralAsia to Persia before 1000 B.C.

The Medes and Persians were

considerable military powers Cyrus the Achaemenid ruled from 558-530

B.C. and launched the Persians first

imperial venture Darius reigned from 521 to 486 and

expanded the empire both east and west


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Cyrus and his Heirs


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Persia under the Medes

Both Indo-European tribes

Medes conquered Persians

Persians allowed to keep theirown leaders as long as they did

not rebel

Darius I

Crushed rebellion after death ofCyruss son

Strengthened army, empire

Ceremony and ritual

Created satraps to help govern

Cyrus the Great

Defeated Medes in 559 BC

Expanded Persian Empire

Freed Jews in Babylon

Respected by those he

conquered

Persia in Decline

Rule of Darius high point ofPersian culture

Son, Xerxes, failed to conquerGreece

Last strong ruler of Persia

Growth and Organization


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Blended Culture

Cyrus and Darius encouraged cultural unity

Shared culture led to peace

People worked together to improve empire

Art and Architecture

Animals a common subject

Persepolis, monument to Persias glory

Greatest example of Persian architecture

Communication

Network of high quality roads

Royal Road = worlds first long highway

Horseback messengers in shifts

Persian Achievements




Greatest example of Persian architecture

Communication




Blended Culture

Cyrus and Darius encouraged cultural unity

Shared culture led to peace

People worked together to improve empire




With Susa Greatest example of Persian architecture

Communication





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Persia Nomads to PersianAgriculture

There was little rainfall in Persia.

The Persiansare said to have been adeptin the art of water- divination

The Persians used underground watersources for farming.

Underground water sources are called

aquifers. reverence for waterheld in the old Persian

religion


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Aquifers allowed people to farm away from

rivers.


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Gardening Eden

Garden as Paradise

Creating gardens was held in such high esteem that thePersian kings wished to be remembered as gardeners.

Among them was the first example of the Paradaisia, thequartered, walled, Persian garden, containing lilies,roses, cherries and pomegranate. It was a paradise

watered by a thousand yards of limestone irrigationchannels, designed so that the water filled a myriad tiny

pools.

Wanted to be remembered as gardeners.


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The Persians built roads to connect their

vast empire.


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Zarathustra [Zoroaster], 6c

BCE:Good Thoughts, Good Deed, Good Words

Tree of Life


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Extent of Zoroastrianism


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Zoroastrianism

The Persians worshipped many gods untilZoroaster started a new religion in about 600B.C.

Zoroaster taught that there were two forces inthe world: a force of good and a force of evil.

People were free to choose which force to followbut they would be rewarded or punished in theafterlife.


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Zoroaster taught that the world isa battle between the God of good,

Ahura Mazda, and the force of evil.


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Dualistic Battle of

Good vs. Evil

Ahura MazdaHoly Spirit

AhrimanDestructive

SpiritEnd of time


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Zoroastrians believe that fire is a symbolof their God.


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Cyrus the Great

580 529 B. C. E.

A tolerant ruler heallowed

different cultures withinhis

empire to keep their owninstitutions.

The Greeks called him a

Law-Giver.

The Jews called him theanointed of the Lord. (In

537,


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Darius the Great

(526 485 B. C. E.)

Built Persepolis.

He extended thePersian Empire to

theIndus River in

northernIndia. (2 mil. s.q.

mi.)

Built a canal in


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Darius the Great

(526 485 B. C. E.)Established a tax-collectingsystem.

Divided the empire intodistricts

called SATRAPIES.

Built the great Royal Roadsystem.

Established a complex postal

system.


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Ancient Persepolis


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Persepolis


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The People of Persepolis


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Persian Archers & Soldiers


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Empires and Dynasties


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Conquered people paid tribute to the

Persian emperor.


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Tribute is a payment from one ruler toanother ruler. Paying tribute is a wayto acknowledge the superior ruler.

PersianCoins


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Darius

Darius empire stretched some 1,865 miles from

the Indus River in the east to the Aegean Sea inthe west and 933 miles from Armenia in the

north to the first cataract of the Nile in the south Population of some 35 million people

encompassing over 70 distinct ethnic groups

Description of the construction of the palace at Susa

testifies to the diversity of the empire


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Palace at Susa

the sun-dried brick was molded, theBabylonian people -- it did (these tasks). Thecedar timber, this -- a mountain named Lebanon --from there was brought. The Assyrian people, it

brought it to Babylon; from Babylon the Cariansand the Ionians brought it to Susa. The yak-timber was brought from Gandara and fromCarmania. The gold was brought from Sardis andfrom Bactria, which here was wrought. The

precious stone lapis lazuli and carnelian which waswrought here, this was brought from Sogdiana.The precious stone turquoise, this was broughtfrom Chorasmia, which was wrought here. Thesilver and the ebony were brought from Egypt.


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Palace at Susa

The ornamentation with which the wall wasadorned, that from Ionia was brought. The ivorywhich was wrought here, was brought fromEthiopia and from Sind and from Arachosia.

The stone columns which were here wrought, avillage named Abiradu, in Elam -- from therewere brought. The stone-cutters who wrought thestone, those were Ionians and Sardians. Thegoldsmiths who wrought the gold, those were

Medes and Egyptians. The men who wroughtthe wood, those were Sardians and Egyptians.The men who wrought the baked brick, thosewere Babylonians. The men who adorned thewall, those were Medes and Egyptians.


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Darius

Governing such a far-flung empirewould prove to be a more difficultchallenge than conquering it

Darius was an excellent administrator He arrived at a finely tuned balance

between central initiative and localadministration

Centralization Authority Persepolis Royal Road Standardized taxes

Localization Satraps

Tolerance


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Authority: Centralization

Achaemenid rulers held the official title of The

Great King, King of Kings, King of Persia, Kingof Countries

Darius ruled by the grace of Ahura Mazda, theZoroastrian god of light

A great god is Ahura Mazda, who created the earth,

who created the sky, who created man, who created

happiness for man, who made Darius king. Zoroastrianism was a Persian religion which emphasized the

duality of good and evil and the role of individuals indetermining their own fate


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Authority: Centralization

Kings decision on allmatters of policy wasfinal

King was commander-in-chief of the army andceremoniously took hisposition in the center ofthe formation There he was protected

by an elite royalbodyguard

The Greeks called the bodyguard

the Ten Thousand Immortals


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Persepolis: Centralization

Soon after Dariuscame to power hebegan centralizinghis administration

About 520 hebegan building anew capital inPersepolis Would become the

nerve center of thePersian empire Palace of Darius
http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/IRAN/PAAI/IMAGES/PER/PD/3C8_72dpi.html


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Persepolis had vastreception halls, lavishroyal residences, and

a well-protectedtreasury

It was designed to benot just an

administrative centerbut also a monumentto the Achaemeniddynasty

Gate of All Nations atentrance to city


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Persepolis was full ofadvisors, ministers,diplomats, scribes,accountants, translators,

and other bureaucraticofficials

Governors served asagents of the centraladministration tooversee affairs in thevarious regions

Persepolis is near modern

day Shiraz in Iran


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Satraps: Localization

Darius divided thekingdom into 23satrapies Administrative and

taxation districtsgoverned by satraps

Satraps were royalappointees, oftenmembers of the royal

dynasty by birth ormarriage Satrapies tended to

become virtuallyhereditary domains

Satrap receiving a visitor


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Satraps: Localization

Principal duty of the satrap was to collect taxesand deliver them to the central treasury

Before Darius, Cyrus had accepted irregular,

periodic gifts as tribute from subject lands andcities

Though often lavish, these gifts did not provide aconsistent and reliable source of income

Darius changed all that


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Standardized Taxes: Centralization

Darius replaced theirregular payments withformal tax levies

Each satrapy was

required to pay a setquantity of silver and insome cases a levy ofhorses and slaves alsoto the imperial court

In order to expeditepayments, he issuedstandard coins

Gold coin issued byDarius, known after himas a daric


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Localization: Legal Tolerance

Darius did not abolish the existing laws ofindividual lands and peoples

He had no uniform law code for the entire

empire He did direct legal experts to codify the

laws of the subject people and modify

them as necessary to harmonize themwith the legal principles observed by theempire as a whole


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Localization: Religious Tolerance

Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, theirfellow officials of that province, stay away from

there. Do not interfere with the work on thistemple of God. Let the governor of the Jewsand the Jewish elders rebuild this house of Godon its site.

Ezra 6: 6-7

Darius also funded the project and providedharsh penalties for anyone who interfered


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Royal Road: Centralization

The Royal Road stretched1,600 miles from theAegean port of Ephesus toSardis in Anatolia, throughMesopotamia along the

Tigris River, to Susa in Iran,with an extension toPasargadae and Persepolis

Caravans took 90 days totravel the route

Inns along the way providedlodging The road was well policed

for safety


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Royal Road: Centralization

Darius established 111 postal stations at 25 to30 mile intervals along the route

Each station kept a fresh supply of horses socouriers could travel the entire route in one week Like the Pony Express

Herodotus praised the couriers saying, Neithersnow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays

these couriers from the swift completion of theirappointed rounds. Motto of the US Postal Service


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Checks and Balances

Since the satraps were often far away fromPersepolis, there was always the possibility theymight ally with local groups and becomeindependent of the central authority

To prevent this, Darius: Placed a contingent of military officers and tax

collectors in each satrapy to serve as a check on thesatraps power and influence

Appointed agents to serve as the eyes and ears ofthe king by traveling throughout the empireconducting surprise audits and gathering intelligence

Documents

22396696 the Persian Empire