The Persian Empire

By: Aziz Nosirov

Table Of ContentsI. Statement

II. Timeline

III. The Persian People

IV. Persian Art and Culture

V. Persian Art and Culture (cont’d)

VI. The Effect of Islamic Culture

VII.Center Periphery Model

VIII.Traditions and Rituals

Statement From 539 BC to 331 BC, the Persian

Empire was the most powerful and most succeful state in the world. Ruled from Persia (Iran), it stretched from Egypt to India. It had rich resources of water, fertile farmland, gold, bronze as well as silver. Even though the most attacked empire was Persia, if not China, it still stands today, full of its culture. Like Confucius says ”Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”

Timeline

The Persian People The Persians are a group of

people that are from modern Iran or ancient Medes, Parthia, Bactrians and Scythians all that were united into Persia by Cyrus II or Cyrus The Great. People who call themselves Persian, might also mean people that share the same culture and language. Such people often exist around modern Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and are usually referred as Tajiks. The Persians in the old days had a very different culture.

Persian Art and Culture Unlike nowadays or

maybe a few millennia ago, the Persians used a kind of religion called Zoroastrianism unlike the Abrahimic religions who were monothiestic and strict, they also believed in one God but because their creator told them too. The influence of Zoroastrianism was the greatest upon the other three religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Symbol of Zoroastrianism

Persian Art and Culture (cont’d) Zoroastrians are a group of people who believe

there is good and there is evil. They also believe that fire is God’s Wisdom and light so they tend to jump over it for a blessing in their lives. People usually divided Persians into two different types of cultures and thats how its been for a long time. One of them is Pre-Islamic Culture and the other has te name of Post-Islamic Culture.

Fire temple

The Effect of Islamic Culture

The Achaemenids (550-330 B.C.), Parthians (247 B.C.-224 A.D.) and of course the Sassanids (224-651 A.D.) represent the Pre-Islamic Culture. During the Achaemenid, the Greeks were heavily influenced by Persians since they were right next to the cultural expansion and the land itself that was covered by Persian Achaemenids, and in fact not only were the Greeks influenced by them but Cyprus and Ancient Greece which was know as the Ionians were also in Persia’s cultural sphere.

Mosques of Islam

Center-Periphery Model The Persian culture was

traditionally described as a center-periphery. What that means is that, the model itself was a a cultural influence composed of dominant center with a lot of power that the conquered countries and city-states were feeding on. For example, Anatolia, Lydia, and the Lykian dynasty completely adopted the Persian culture acting as a full periphery to the central influence. Both influences were so great that the coast of the Ionians were overlaped with the power itself and then became the « interaction zone ».

Traditions and Rituals The Pre-Islamic had/have

traditions that date back to the Achaemenid Empire. One of them was Nowruz. In March 21st this holiday was celebrated. Nowruz really means new day or new light but is mostly referred to a new year in The Islamic/Persian Calendar because that day the night is the same as the day and from that day on the days get bigger and longer as you know and it usually means the first day or spring. Many people celebrate this holiday, in fact over 300 million people celebrate this festival and its rituals and traditions.

Cyrus The Great He aspired to conquer the

entire known world, believing it was his religious duty to do so.This was an idea that was revolutionary for its time and ultimately sparked the dawn of the greatest empire the world had ever known.

He became the chief of the Persian tribe in 559 BC.

His army was able to conquer Persia and Media in 554 BC. He had killed King Astyages of Media in 550 BC.

Cyrus The GreatCyrus had created a strong army with a unique militaristic style that emphasized strength. He also invented a certain soldier attire that would be used throughout most of the history of the Persian Empire.

He expanded the empire further to the surrounding regions of Lydia, Asia Minor, and Babylon.◦ He was able to capture Sardis, capitol of Lydia, after inflicting a two week siege.

◦ In Babylon, Cyrus freed the Jews, believing that their god, Yahweh, was an ally of Ahura Mazda.

He then died in battle in 529 BC.

Cambyses He ruled from 530 B.C. to 522 B.C.

He added Egypt.◦ Ridiculed the Egyptian religion

◦ Ordered for the images of the Egyptian gods to be burned.

Died in 522 BC.◦ Revolts broke out.

Darius I of Persia Throughout the reign of Darius

I, many lands were conquered and the empire was able to prosper with his brilliant organization.

Darius was the successor of Cambyses

Son of Cyrus The Great He ruled from 522 to 486 BC. Moved empire eastward to

Afghanistan and India, increasing the empire’s size to 2,500 miles long.

He was originally a body guard for the king.

The Ten Thousand Immortals.◦ They were a group of Persian soldiers.

◦ This group helped bring Darius to power.

Xerxes I of Persia Xerxes was a powerful king of the

Persian Empire. He was focused on conquering the city states of Greece during his reign as king.

Xerxes was the son of Darius and he ruled from 486 BC to 465 BC.

Xerxes devoted his reign to attempting to conquering Greece.◦ Greece was considered Persia’s main threat.

Xerxes crossed the Hellespont with his army and then ordered a bridge to be built, which was destroyed in a storm.

◦ As a result, Xerxes is said to have crossed the river by chariot on a bridge of boats.

Xerxes I of Persia In 480 BC, Xerxes led his sea forces to the victory in defeating Sparta in the Battle of Thermopylae.◦They were even able to sack Athens.

The Greeks won against the Persian Navy in 479 BC in the straits of Salamis.

When rebellion broke out in Babylon, however, Xerxes rushed abate the issue.◦The army left behind was defeated in 479 BC at the battle of Plataea.

Greece had officially defeated the Persian Empire.

Xerxes was assassinated in 465 BC.◦The assassin is believed to have been one of his generals.

Achievements Persepolis- Built by Darius I, Persia’s and Macedon’s Capital

Hall of a 100 Columns