Persian Empire
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How were empires of the ancient Near East governed? How do empires rise, how are they maintained, and what causes them to fall?
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After 700 b.c., new empires arose in western Asia that covered vast stretches of the ancient world. The Assyrians were better at conquest than at ruling, and their empire lasted less than 100 years. The Persian Empire brought many years of peace to Southwest Asia, increasing trade and the general well-being of its people.
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The Persian Empire
Guiding Question: What factors contributed to the success and ultimate fall of the Persian Empire?
After the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, the Chaldean king Nebuchadne zzar (neh • byuh • kuhd • NEH • zuhr) II made Babylonia the leading state in western Asia. He rebuilt Babylon as the center of his empire and gave it a reputation as one of the great cities of the ancient world. The city was most famous for its Hanging Gardens, known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. However, the splendor of Chaldean Babylonia proved to be short-lived. Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 b.c.
Guiding Question: What factors contributed to the success and ultimate fall of the Persian Empire?
After the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, the Chaldean king Nebuchadne zzar (neh • byuh • kuhd • NEH • zuhr) II made Babylonia the leading state in western Asia. He rebuilt Babylon as the center of his empire and gave it a reputation as one of the great cities of the ancient world. The city was most famous for its Hanging Gardens, known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. However, the splendor of Chaldean Babylonia proved to be short-lived. Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 b.c.
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The Rise of the Persian Empire The Persians were Indo-Europeans who lived in what is today southwestern Iran. Primarily nomadic, the Persians were eventually unified by one family. One member of this family, Cyrus, created a powerful Persian state that stretched from Asia Minor to India. Cyrus ruled from 559 b.c. to 530 b.c. In 539 b.c. he captured Babylon. His treatment of Babylonia showed remarkable restraint and wisdom. He also allowed the Jews who had been held there as captives to return to Israel. The people of his time called Cyrus “the Great.” He demonstrated wisdom and compassion in the conquest and organization of his empire. He won approval by installing not only Persians but also native peoples as government officials in their own states. Unlike the Assyrian rulers, Cyrus had a reputation for mercy. Medes, Babylonians, and Jews all accepted him as their ruler. Cyrus had a genuine respect for other civilizations. For example, he used Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian designs for building his palaces. |
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Cyrus’s successors sought to extend the territory of the Persian Empire. His son Cambyses (kam • BY • seez) successfully invaded Egypt. Then Darius (duh • RY • uhs), who ruled from 521 b.c. to 486 b.c., added a new Persian province in western India that extended to the Indus River. He then conquered Thrace in Europe, creating the world’s largest empire to that time. Contact with Greece led Darius to invade the Greek mainland.
Darius strengthened the Persian government. He divided the empire into 20 provinces, called satrapies (SAY • truh • pees). A governor, or satrap, literally a “protector of the kingdom,” ruled each province. Each satrap collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers.
An efficient communication system sustained the Persian Empire. Officials easily traveled through the empire on well-maintained roads. The Royal Road stretched from Lydia in Asia Minor to Susa, the empire’s chief capital. Like the Assyrians, the Persians set up way stations that provided food and shelter, as well as fresh horses, for the king’s messengers.
In this vast administrative system, the Persian king—the “Great King”—held an exalted position. All subjects were the king’s servants, and he held the power of life and death over them. Much of the empire’s power depended on the military. By the time of Darius, Persian kings had created a standing army of professional soldiers from all parts of the empire. At its core were a cavalry force of 10,000 and an elite infantry force of 10,000. They were known as the Immortals because whenever a member was killed, he was immediately replaced.
Darius strengthened the Persian government. He divided the empire into 20 provinces, called satrapies (SAY • truh • pees). A governor, or satrap, literally a “protector of the kingdom,” ruled each province. Each satrap collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers.
An efficient communication system sustained the Persian Empire. Officials easily traveled through the empire on well-maintained roads. The Royal Road stretched from Lydia in Asia Minor to Susa, the empire’s chief capital. Like the Assyrians, the Persians set up way stations that provided food and shelter, as well as fresh horses, for the king’s messengers.
In this vast administrative system, the Persian king—the “Great King”—held an exalted position. All subjects were the king’s servants, and he held the power of life and death over them. Much of the empire’s power depended on the military. By the time of Darius, Persian kings had created a standing army of professional soldiers from all parts of the empire. At its core were a cavalry force of 10,000 and an elite infantry force of 10,000. They were known as the Immortals because whenever a member was killed, he was immediately replaced.
Darius - Persian Emperor (top)
Persepolis - Capital under Darius (right)
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The Fall of the Persian Empire
After Darius, the Persian kings became isolated at their courts, surrounded by luxuries. As the kings increased taxes, loyalty to the empire declined. Struggles over the throne weakened the monarchy (rule by a king or queen).
Persian kings were polygamous (having many wives) and had many children. Artaxerxes II, for example, who ruled in the fourth century b.c., had 115 sons. Of course, the sons had little real power. However, that made them even more willing to engage in plots to gain the throne. Of the nine rulers after Darius, six were murdered as a result of court intrigue. Struggles for the throne weakened the empire and led to its conquest by the Greek ruler Alexander the Great during the 330s b.c.
After Darius, the Persian kings became isolated at their courts, surrounded by luxuries. As the kings increased taxes, loyalty to the empire declined. Struggles over the throne weakened the monarchy (rule by a king or queen).
Persian kings were polygamous (having many wives) and had many children. Artaxerxes II, for example, who ruled in the fourth century b.c., had 115 sons. Of course, the sons had little real power. However, that made them even more willing to engage in plots to gain the throne. Of the nine rulers after Darius, six were murdered as a result of court intrigue. Struggles for the throne weakened the empire and led to its conquest by the Greek ruler Alexander the Great during the 330s b.c.
Darius the King says:
By the favor of Ahuramazda I am King; Ahuramazda bestowed the kingdom upon me - Ahuramazda - "Wise Lord" (right)
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Persian Religion
Zoroastrianism (zohr • uh • WAS • tree • uh • nih • zuhm), the Persians’ religion, was their most original cultural contribution. According to tradition, Zoroaster, revered as a prophet of the “true religion,” was born in 628 b.c. His teachings were recorded in the Zend Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism. Like the Jews, Zoroastrians were monotheistic. To Zoroaster, Ahuramazda (the “Wise Lord”) was a supreme god who created all things. Ahuramazda was supreme, but he was not unopposed. At the beginning of the world, the good spirit of Ahuramazda was opposed by the evil spirit (later identified with Ahriman). Humans also played a role in the struggle between good and evil. Ahuramazda, the creator, gave all humans the freedom to choose between right and wrong. The good person chooses the right way of Ahuramazda. Zoroaster taught that there would be an end to the struggle between good and evil. Ahuramazda would eventually triumph, and at the last judgment at the end of the world, the final separation of good and evil would occur. Individuals, too, would be judged. If a person had performed good deeds, he or she would achieve paradise. If the person had performed evil deeds, the soul would be thrown into an abyss, where it would experience torment and misery. 
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Source:
- McGraw-Hill, World History and Geography, Chapter 3, Lesson 3
- Google Images