The Ancient

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The Ancient Middle East
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The Persians
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• Persians were Indo-Europeans who arrived in
  modern-day Iran ca. 1000 BC

• Persians dominated the Medes to build a huge
  empire

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• Region had fertile land
• Minerals such as copper, lead, gold, silver, blue
  lapis lazuli
• Thriving trade with neighboring peoples

Lapis lazuli head of a statue Persian gold bangle
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Cyrus the Great

• Military genius conqueror
• Tolerant ruler honored local customs
  religion

• The Greeks called him a Law-Giver
• The Jews called him the anointed of the Lord.
  (In 537 BC, he allowed over 40,000 to return to
  Palestine)

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Cyrus was killed fighting nomadic invaders in 530
BC
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King Cambyses, son of Cyrus

• Cambyses further expanded the empire by
  conquering Egypt
• Unlike Cyrus, Cambyses was intolerant of the
  people he conquered
• When Cambyses died, rebellions broke out across
  the empire

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Cambyses succeeded by Darius

• Member of the Ten Thousand Immortals (the Kings
  body guard)
• Put down rebellions, brought peace stability
• Expanded the empire from Indus River in the east
  to Egypt Anatolia in the west
• - However, Darius failed in capturing Greece

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Darius the Greats Empire

• Divided empire into provinces
• Each province had satrap (governor)
• Local tax collector military leader
• Own religion, language
• Kings Eyes Ears spies to check up on
  satraps

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Accomplishments of Darius

• Manufactured metal coins

• Complex postal system

• Canal in Egypt

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Accomplishments of Darius

• Royal Road from Susa to Sardis

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Accomplishments of Darius

• Built Persepolis

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Aerial view of Persepolis
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Persepolis Griffin sculpture
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Capital of a Column in Darius audience chamber
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Persian Soldier
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Persian dignitaries
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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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Persian Empire
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Necropolis royal tombs
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Named after Persian religious reformer Zoroaster
Persian religion Zoroastrianism
Tree of life
6th cent. BC
Represented by the sacred light / flame
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Struggle between spirits of good and evilAhura
Mazda Persian god of light goodness
Symbol representing the soul of man Wings, the
souls ability to soar to the highest of
states Tail feathers, the will that guides the
flight of the soul through choices
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Dualistic Battle of Good vs. Evil
Ahura MazdaHoly Spirit
AhrimanDestructive Spirit
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Extent of Zoroastrianism
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Zend-Avesta(The Book of Law)
To make him who is an enemy a friend to make
him who is wicked righteous and to make him who
is ignorant learned.
The Sacred Fire ? the force to fight evil.
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Relief sculpture of Ahura Mazda
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King Darius and the seal of Ahura Mazda in the
mist
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Papyrus of Zoroaster
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Temple of Zoroaster
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• Zoroastrianism declined after the Muslims
  conquered Persia in 600s AD
• - Aspects of the religion spread through the
  Roman Empire and remain in modern countries
  such as Iran and India
• - Today, followers of Zoroastrianism are
  known as Parsis
• The Persians preservedideas from earlier
  civilizations and helped to preserve those
  cultures for the future

Symbol for the Parsi Zoroastrian Association
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Legacies of Persian Empire

• Preserved ideas from earlier civilizations
• Tolerance order
• Respect for all cultures
• New ways of trade