The Empires of Persia

The Empires of PersiaChapter 7

Achaemenid EmpireI. The rise and fall of the persian empiresThe Achaemenid Empire 1. The Medes and the Persiansa. 2 closely related people: Medes & Persians (from C. Asia to Persia)b. Indo-European languagesc. shared many cultural traits with Aryansd. equestrian skillse. expert archers

I. The rise and fall of the persian empires contd 2. Cyrusa. Cyrus the Achaemenid (reigned 558-530bce)b. aka Cyrus the Shepherdc. tough, wily leader & outstanding military strategistd. led first Persian Empire 3. Cyruss Conquesta. 558 bce king of Persian tribesb. 553 bce rebellion against his Median overlordc. 548 bce all Iran under his control, conquered Babylond. ruler of empire that stretched from India to borders of EgyptI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contde. 530 bce mortally wounded from nomadic raiders 4. Dariusa. Cyruss empire expanded during the reigns of his successorsb. Cyruss son Camyses conquered Egyptc. Darius (reigned 521bce-486bce) extended both east & westd. largest empire the world had seene. better administrator than conquerorf. ruled over 70 distinct ethnic groupsg. communication w/all parts of their realm, created institutions that allowed them to tax and administer their territories

Tomb of Cyrus at PasargadaeI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contd 5. Persepolisa. Darius centralized his administrationb. Persepolis=new capitalc. administrative centerd. lavish halls, royal residences, well protected treasurye. advisors, ministers, diplomats, scribes, accountants, translators & bureaucratic officers 6. Achaemenid Administration: The Satrapiesa. central & local initiative b. governors were agents of central administration and oversawaffairs in the various regions

Ruins of Persepolis

Stone Carving from Persepolis showing an enthroned DariusI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contdc. 23 satrapies districts governed by the satraps d. local officials filled other jobs below the satrape. military and tax officers checked on the local power of the satrapsf. eyes and ears of the king-conducted surprise audits of the provinces & collecting intelligence reports 7. Taxes, Coins, and Lawsa. regularized tax levies and standardized lawsI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contdb. replaced with tribute payments with formal tax leviesc. had to pay a quantity of silver, horses and slavesd. issued standardized coins which fostered tradee. codified laws of the different subjects within the region 8. Roads and Communicationa. roads across the realm b. Persian Royal Roads-paved with stone stretched 1600 miles, took 90 days to travel this roadc. organized courier serviced. stations provided fresh horses & foode. pass info from one end of the road to the other in 2 weeksI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contdf. these roads also facilitated trade which integrate various regions into a larger economyB. The Decline and Fall of the Achaeminid Empire 1. The Achaeminid Commonwealtha. roads and administrative machinery enabled them to govern a vast empireb. political stability led to public works c. qanat-underground canals led to enhanced agricultural production and population growthd. iron metallurgy spreadI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contde. subject peoples and rulers undermined integrity of the Achaemenid empiref. Cyrus and Darius were both tolerant g. Xerxes (reigned 486bce-465bce) had a harder time with these peopleh. reputation for cruelty and insensitivity 2. The Persian Warsa. difficult time w/ethnic Greek subjectsb. Ionian Greeks fell under Persian rule during the reign of Cyrusc. Greeks called the Persian tyrants d. Greek rebellion caused a series of wars called the Persian WarsI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contde. 150 years of intermittent battle occurred between the Persian and Greeks 3. Alexander of Macedon a. Invades Persia in 334bceb. Military had heavier arms, more sophisticated tacticsc. Battle of Gaugamela- one year defeated the Persian army and took over the Achaemenid empired. . Alexander acted like the legitimate successor and kept many aspects of the Achaeminid empire (ex. Administrative structure)

Silver Coin of Alexander of MacedonI. The rise and fall of the persian empires contdC. The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid Empires 1. The Seleucidsa. Alexander diees, internal conflict a new leader, Seleucus (reigned 305-281bce), commander of elite guard corps b. kept many Achaeminid concepts: administration, taxation, imperial roads, & postal servicec. Seleucids founded new cities, attracted Greek colonistsd. Satraps revolted against the foreign Seleucids created power bases to oppose the Seleucids e, Seleucids lost control in N India to the seminomadic Parthians.I. The rise and fall of the persian empires contd 2. The Parthiansa. maintained customs and traditions of the steppes people of C Asiab. no centralized govt but a federation of leaders, got together to organize policy.c. skillful warriorsd. effective means to resist nomadic invasions 3. Parthian Conquestsa. Mithradates I is the greatest conquerorb. Transforms state to a mighty empire

I. The rise and fall of the persian empires contd 4. Parthian Governmenta. enemies of Seleucids,b. restores Persian traditionsc. followed Achaemenids in structuring their empired. responsibility and authority to clan leaders, served as satraps, built independent bases of powere. internal pressure by satraps and Romans contributed to the weakening of the Parthianse. 3rd century ce the empire declines

Sassanid EmpireII. IMPERIAL SOCIETY & ECONOMY 1. Imperial Bureaucrats a. new educated bureaucratsb. undermine old warrior elitec. shared power with warrior elite and clan leadersd. translators 2. Free Classesa. artisans, merchants, craftsmen, low ranking civil servatnsb. peasants who owned land, landless cultivators who worked on property owned the state or temples. c. right to marry and move as they wishd. qanat (underground canals) -move water w/o losing large quantities to evaporation 3. Slavesa. two routes: prisoner of war, civilians who rebelled or those who accumulated debt, could not marry often worked state projectsB. Economic Foundations of Classical PersiaAgriculture was the economic foundation

II. IMPERIAL SOCIETY & ECONOMY contd 1. Agricultural Productiona. Barley and wheat 2. Standardized Coinsa. Encouraged economic development and tradeb. trade benefited from standardized coinsc. coins were precisely measured metal and guaranteed their valued. coins were popular and drew merchants from distant landse. banks and companies invested in commercial venturesII. IMPERIAL SOCIETY & ECONOMY contd 3. Tradea. Long distance trade grew rapidlyb. linked lands from India to Egypt in a commercial zonec. each region contributed particular productsd. long distance trade became popular Alexander of Macedon and the SeleucidsIII. Religions of salvation in classical persian societyZarathustra and His Faith1. Zarathustraa. priest who became disenchanted with traditional religion and bloody sacrificesb. convinced there was a supreme god called Ahura Mazdac. claimed as a prophetIII. Religions of salvation in classical persian society contd 2. The Gathasa. Hymns he composed in honor of various deities he recognized 3. Zoroastrian Teachingsa. Ahura Mazda=supreme deity, eternal, beneficent creator of all good thingsb. Angra Mainyu=destructive spirit or hostile spiritc. Ahura Mazda & Angra Mainyu are adversaries. Forces of good would prevail against evil and evil would disappear. Human souls undergo judgment and experience rewards or punishment according to the holiness of their thoughts, words and deedsIII. Religions of salvation in classical persian society contd 3. Popularity of Zoroastrianisma. did not ask to renounce material things in the world in to reach heavenb. material world a blessingc. moral teachings allowed people to enjoy the fruits of the earthd moral teachings as good faith, good works, good deedse. Darius (emperor) associated himself with Ahura Mazda and claimed divine sanction for their ruleIII. Religions of salvation in classical persian society contdB. Religions of Salvation in a Cosmopolitan Society1. Officially Sponsored Zoroastrianisma. Sasanid dynasty revived Zoroastrianismb. Zoroastrianism faced difficulties when Islamic conquerors took over the Sasanid empirec. The Muslims place political and financial difficulty on the temples and magiIII. Religions of salvation in classical persian society contd 2. Other Faithsa. Jewish communities existedb. Manichaeism 3. Influence of Zoroastrianisma. left its mark on other religions of salvationsb. the ideas that developed: omnipotent deity, evil against the creator, good will prevail, high moral standards, humans undergo judgment