2. the persians lived in what is today southwestern iran
3. AT THE BEGINNING THEY WERE WARRIORS AND NOMADS WHO HERDED
CATTLE
4. Cyrus the Great REMARKABLE LEader united the Persians into a
Powerful kingdom He ruled from 559 B.C. to 530 B.C.
5. 539 B.C. Persians swept into Mesopotamia and captured
BABYLON They took over: MESOPOTAMIA, ASIA MINOR, SYRIA, CANAAN AND
THE PHOENICIAN CITIES.
6. He treated his new subjects well. He allowed captive jews in
Babylon to return home He had a merciful rule and he hold his
Empire
7. CONTRIBUTIONS THEY BUILT MILES OF ROADS THE ROYAL ROAD
STRETCHED FROM ASIA MINOR TO SUSA (THE PERSIAN CAPITAL) PERSIANS
SET UP ROADSIDE STATIONS TO SUPPLY FOOD, SHELTER, AND FRESH HORSES
TO THE KINGS MESSENGERS In the days of the mighty Persian Empire,
there was a 1600-mile long ancient highway known as the Royal
Road
8. DARIUS HE CAME TO POWER THE THRONE IN 521 B.C. HE
REORGANIZED THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE IT WORK BETTER HE DIVIDED THE
EMPIRE INTO 20 PROVINCES CALLED SATRAPIES
9. SATRAP PROTECTOR OF THE KINGDOM HE WAS A TAX COLLECTOR,
JUDGE, CHIEF OF POLICE, AND HEAD RECRUITER FOR THE PERSIAN ARMY HIS
ARMY WAS CALLED THE IMMORTALS BECAUSE WHEN A MEMBER DIED, HE WAS
IMMEDIATELY REPLACED
10. THE PERSIAN RELIGION WAS CALLED ZOROASTRIANISM THEY
BELIEVED IN ONE GOD GOD: CREATOR AND FORCE OF GOODNESS HUMANS HAD
THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG, AND GOODNESS WILL
TRIUMPH IN THE END IT STILL HAS A SMALL NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS
TODAY
