Assyria and its rivals. The shifting political map of southwest Asia was dominated between 850 and 6

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Assyria and its rivals. The shifting political
map of southwest Asia was dominated between 850
and 650 b.c.e. by the powerful and martial
Assyrians, who even occupied Egypt. Anatolia was
fragmented into smaller states. To the north a
powerful federation of Median tribes was a
growing threat. In 614, in alliance with the
Babylonians, they crushed Assyria.
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The Meaning of Empire

• Empire is the extension of political rule by one
  people over other, different peoples
• Popular images of empire focus on monuments,
  opulence, power, and wealth
• Actual tasks of empire include
• Effective communication and administration
• Awareness of place of conquered peoples in
  empire, unified monetary system

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The Meaning of Empire

• Reasons for Decline and Fall of Empires
• Failure of leadership
• Overextension of administration
• Collapse of the economy
• Doubt over ideology
• Military defeat

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Persian Empires

• Contemporary Iran
• Four major dynasties
• Achaemenids (558-330 BCE)
• Seleucids (323-283 BCE)
• Parthians (247 BCE-224 CE)
• Sasanids (224 CE-651 CE)

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Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE)

• Migration of Medes and Persians from central
  Asia, before 1000 BCE
• Indo-Europeans
• Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian
  empires
• Cyrus (r. 558-530 BCE) founder of dynasty
• Cyrus the Shepherd
• Peak under Darius (r. 521-486 BCE)
• Ruled Indus to the Aegean
• Capital Persepolis

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The Persian Empire

• Imperial Policies
• Darius I r. 522-486 B.C.E.
• Continued moderate practices of Cyrus II
• Local loyalty insured by presence of army
• Developed written version of Persian language
• Legal codes reflected local custom
• Built extensive road system for military
• Promoted irrigation
• Construction of four regional capitals showed
  wealth

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Achaemenid Administration The Satrapies

• 23 Administrative divisions
• Satraps Persian, but staff principally local
• System of spies, surprise audits
• Minimized possibilities of local rebellion
• Extend/maintain control
• Standardized currency for taxation purposes
• Massive road building, courier services

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Technologies

• Qanat System of underground canals
• Avoided excessive loss to evaporation
• Extensive road-building
• Persian Royal Road
• 1,600 miles, some of it paved
• Courier service- Motto?

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Achaemenid Persia. The Medes and the Persians
were united under Cyrus the Great in 550 b.c.e.
to form the Achaemenid or Persian Empire. Cyrus
and his successors, notably Darius and Xerxes,
extended the empire to the Indus in the east and
to Egypt and Libya in the west, and twice invaded
Greece.
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Decline of the Achaemenid Empire

• Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius
• Rebuilding of Temple in Jerusalem
• Representatives of Babylonian diety, Marduk
• Xerxes (486-465 BCE) attempts to impose Persian
  stamp on satrapies
• Assert Persianness, in face of long-standing
  independent/proud cultures
• Increasing public discontent in outlying areas

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Persian Wars (500-479 BCE)

• Rebellious Greeks in Ionia- early Nationalism?
• Peninsular Greeks join in
• Persians defeated at Marathon (490 BCE),
  retreated 150yrs of various hotspots
• Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid
  Empire (334-331 BCE)

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The Empire of Alexander
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Seleucid Empire

• Alexander the Great dies suddenly
• Generals divide empire, best part goes to
  Seleucus (r. 305-281 BCE)
• Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of
  Parthians

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The Achaemenid and Selucid empires
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Parthian Empire 171 b.c.e.-224 c.e.

• Seminomadic Parthians drive Seleucus out of Iran.
  Mithradates I, 171 b.c.e.
• Restoration of Persian trad. from foreigners
• Federated governmental structure- less central,
  more regional, satraps, etc.
• Especially strong cavalry- alfalfa means armor
• Weakened by ongoing wars with Romans
• Fell to internal rebellion- hmmmexternal to
  internal

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Sasanid Empire (224-651 CE)

• Claimed direct descent from Achaemenids
• Continual conflicts with Rome, Byzantium in the
  west, Kush in the east
• Buffer States, period of stand-off
• Overwhelmed by Arab conquest in 651
• Persian administration and culture absorbed into
  local Islamic culture

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The Parthian and Sasanid empires, 247 B.C.E.-651
C.E
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Persian Society

• Early steppe traditions
• Warriors, priests, peasants
• Family/clan kinship very important
• Creation of bureaucrat class with Empire
• Tax collectors
• Record keepers
• Translators
• Impact?- shift of power from warriors to suits

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Slave Class

• Prisoners of war, conquered populations
• Direct result of Empire expansion
• Debtors
• Children, spouses also sold into slavery
• Principally domestic servitude
• Some agricultural labor, public works

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Persian Economy

• Food and Trade, basis of economy/empire expansion
• Several areas absorbed were exceptionally
  fertile Mesop.Egypt, N.India, Anatolia
• Large surplus needed for Soldiers/Suits
• Long-distance trade benefits from Persian
  road-building. Trade-infrastructure cycle
• Goods from India especially valued

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Zoroastrianism

• Early Aryan influences on Persian religious
  traditions
• Zarathustra (late 7th-early 6th c. BCE)
• Cosmic conflict Ahura Mazda versus
  Hostile/Destructive spirit Angra Mainu
• Priests of Zarathustra known as Magi
• Oral teachings until Sasanid period composed
  Gathas

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Fortunes of Zoroastrianism

• Under Alexander Massacre of Magi, burning
  Zoroastrian temples
• Weak Parthian support
• Major revival under Sasanids,
• Remember heirs of achaemenids?
• persecution of non-Zoroastrians, to prevent
  challenge
• Discrimination under Islam

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Other Religious Groups in the Persian Empire

• Major Mesopotamian communities of Jews
• Composition of the Talmud, c. 500 CE
• constitution of Judaism
• Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also
  survived