The Persian Empire

Persian Empires

• Contemporary Iran

• Four major dynasties

– Achaemenids (558-330 BCE)

– Seleucids (323-283 BCE)

– Parthians (247 BCE-224 CE)

– Sasanids (224-651 CE)

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

Cyrus the Great

580 – 529 B. C. E.

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).

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

Iranian artists

rendition of Cyrus

the Great

The Cyrus Cylinder, sometimes described as the

"first charter of human rights"

Darius I (the Great)

As portrayed on a Greek vase

Darius the Great

(526 – 485 B. C. E.)

Built Persepolis.

He extended the

Persian Empire to

the

Indus River in

northern

India. (2 mil. sq.

mi.)

Built a canal in

Egypt.

Persepolis

Persepolis

Gate of Xerxes at Persepolis

Persepolis

Persepolis

Ancient Persepolis

Persepolis

The People of Persepolis

Persian Archers & Soldiers

Darius the Great

(526 – 485 B. C. E.)

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 King’s eyes and ears.”

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 services

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

Qanat System

Qanat System

Wind tower

and qanat

used for

cooling.

By 400 BCE Persian engineers had already mastered the

technique of storing ice in the middle of summer in the desert in

naturally cooled refrigerators called yakhchal (meaning ice pits)

which were connected to qanats..

Persian “Royal Road”

Decline of the Achaemenid

Empire

• Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius

– Rebuilding of Temple in Jerusalem

• Xerxes (486-465 BCE) attempts to impose

Persian stamp on satrapies

• Increasing public discontent

– revolts begin with Ionian Greeks leading to

the Persian Wars

Xerxes I

Persian Wars (500-479 BCE)

• Rebellious Greeks in Ionia

• Peninsular Greeks join in

• Persians defeated at Marathon (490 BCE), 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 BCE

• In 479 BCE 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.

Seleucid Empire

• Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid Empire (334-331 BCE) 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 BCE)

• Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of Parthians

The Achaemenid

and Selucid Empires, 558-83 BCE

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

Sasanid Empire (224-651 CE)

• Claimed descent 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

The Parthian

and Sasanid Empires, 247 BCE-651 CE

Persian Society

• Early steppe traditions

– Warriors, priests, peasants

– Family/clan kinship very important

• Creation of bureaucrat class with empire

– Tax collectors

– Record keepers

– Translators

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

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 reinforced

economy

Zoroastrianism

• Early Aryan influences on Persian

religious traditions

• Zarathustra (late 7th-early 6th c. BCE)

• Prophet of Ahura Mazda, against Angra

Mainu

• Priests of Zarathustra known as Magi

• Oral teachings until Sasanid period

composed Gathas

Zarathustra [Zoroaster], 6c

BCE: Good Thoughts, Good Deed, Good Words

“Tree of Life”

Dualistic Battle of

Good vs. Evil

Ahura Mazda

“Holy Spirit”

Ahriman

“Destructive

Spirit”

Zend-Avesta (The “Book of Law”)

The “Sacred Fire” the force to

fight

evil.

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

Extent of Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

Faravahar, or Guardian Spirit: The depiction of the

human soul before birth and after death.

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 CE – “constitution of Judaism”

• Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also survived