The Empires of Persia

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Chapter 7
The Empires of Persia
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The Persian Empire
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Persian Empires

• Contemporary Iran
• Four major dynasties
• Achaemenids (558-330 BC)
• Seleucids (323-283 BC)
• Parthians (247 B.C.-224 AD)
• Sasanids (224-651 AD)

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Achaemenid Empire (558-330 B.C.)

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

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Cyrus the Great

• A tolerant ruler ? he allowed different
  cultures within his empire to keep their own
  institutions.
• The Greeks called him a Law-Giver.
• The Jews called him the anointed of the
  Lord. (In 537, he allowed over 40,000 to
  return to Palestine).

580 529 B.C.
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Tomb of Cyrus the Great
Iranian artists rendition of Cyrus the Great
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The Cyrus Cylinder, sometimes described as the
"first charter of human rights"
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Darius I (the Great)
As portrayed on a Greek vase
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Darius the Great (526 485 B.C.)

• Built Persepolis.
• He extended the Persian Empire to the
  Indus River in northern India. (2 mil. sq.
  mi.)
• Built a canal in Egypt.

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Persepolis
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Persepolis
Gate of Xerxes at Persepolis
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Persepolis
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Persepolis
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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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Darius the Great (526 485 B.C.)

• Established a tax-collecting system.
• Divided the empire into districts called
  SATRAPIES.
• Built the great Royal Road system.
• Established a complex postal system.
• Created a network of spies called the Kings
  eyes and ears.

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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
• Standardized currency for taxation purposes
• Massive road building, courier serviADs

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Technologies

• Qanat System of underground canals
• Avoided excessive loss to evaporation
• System began in Persia but spread throughout the
  world
• Extensive road-building
• Persian Royal Road
• 1,600 miles, some of it paved
• Courier service

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Qanat System
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Qanat System
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Qanat System

• Wind tower and qanat used for cooling.

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Persian Royal Road
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Decline of the Achaemenid Empire

• Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius
• Rebuilding of Temple in Jerusalem
• Xerxes (486-465 BC) attempts to impose Persian
  stamp on satrapies
• Increasing public discontent
• revolts begin with Ionian Greeks leading to the
  Persian Wars

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Xerxes I
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Persian Wars (500-479 B.C.)

• Rebellious Greeks in Ionia
• Peninsular Greeks join in
• Persians defeated at Marathon (490 B.C.),
  retreated, ending the first phase of the Persian
  Wars
• Upon the death of Darius, his son Xerxes I
  assembled one of the largest militaries ever to
  invade Greece again in 480 B.C.
• In 479 B.C. at the Battle of Plataea, the
  Persians were defeated for the final time in
  Greece.
• Further Greek revolts took place of the next 25
  years.

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Seleucid Empire

• Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid
  Empire (334-331 B.C.) at the Battle of Guagemala
• Alexander burns Persepolis to the ground
• Alexander the Great dies suddenly
• Generals divide empire, best part goes to
  Seleucus (r. 305-281 B.C.)
• Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of
  Parthians

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• The Achaemenid
• and Selucid Empires, 558-83 B.C.

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Parthian Empire

• Seminomadic Parthians drive Seleucus out of Iran
• Federated governmental structure
• Especially strong cavalry
• Alfalfa fed horses grew larger than steppe ponies
  and enabled heavy armor
• Weakened by ongoing wars with Romans
• Fell to internal rebellion of feuding satraps

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Sasanid Empire (224-651 AD)

• Claimed desADnt from Achaemenids
• Continual conflicts with Rome, Byzantium in the
  west, Kush in the east
• 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.-651 AD

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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

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Slave Class

• Largest slave class of any society at that point
  in history
• Prisoners of war, conquered populations
• Debtors
• Children, spouses also sold into slavery
• Principally domestic servitude
• Some agricultural labor, public works

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Persian Economy

• Several areas exceptionally fertile
• Long-distance trade benefits from Persian
  road-building
• Goods from India especially valued
• Each region provided a variety of finished and
  raw goods
• Coined money from the Lydians reinforADd economy

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Zoroastrianism

• Early Aryan influences on Persian religious
  traditions
• Zarathustra (late 7th-early 6th c. B.C.)
• Prophet of Ahura Mazda, against Angra Mainu
• Priests of Zarathustra known as Magi
• Oral teachings until Sasanid period composed
  Gathas

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Zarathustra Zoroaster, 6c B.C.Good Thoughts,
Good Deeds, Good Words
Tree of Life
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Dualistic Battle of Good vs. Evil
AhrimanDestructive Spirit
Ahura MazdaHoly Spirit
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Zend-Avesta(The Book of Law)
The Sacred Fire ? the force to fight evil.
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Fortunes of Zoroastrianism

• Under Alexander Massacre of Magi, burning
  Zoroastrian temples
• Weak Parthian support
• Major revival under Sasanids, persecution of
  non-Zoroastrians
• Discrimination under Islam

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Extent of Zoroastrianism
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Zoroastrianism
Faravahar, or Guardian Spirit The depiction of
the human soul before birth and after death.
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Other Religious Groups in the Persian Empire

• Judaism, Christianity Islam later influenced by
  Zoroastrianism
• Omnipotent God responsible for creation of all
• Dualism
• Good will prevail over evil
• Humans must strive for good, followed by
  judgment reward or punishment
• Major Mesopotamian communities of Jews
• Composition of the Talmud, c. 500 AD
• constitution of Judaism
• Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also
  survived