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The Persian Empire 559-331 BCE

The Persian Empire 559-331 BCE. Objectives: Understand how Persia rose to power Understand how empire was organized Understand how the empire weakened & fell Explore religion of Ancient Persians. Vast Conquests. Persia at the center of trade. Fertile farmland

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The Persian Empire 559-331 BCE

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  1. The Persian Empire 559-331 BCE Objectives: Understand how Persia rose to power Understand how empire was organized Understand how the empire weakened & fell Explore religion of Ancient Persians

  2. Vast Conquests

  3. Persia at the center of trade Fertile farmland Wealth of minerals: copper, lead, gold, silver and lapis lazuli

  4. Cyrus the Great Unites kingdoms around Persia Military campaigns from 550 to 539 BCE Empire spanned 2,000 miles, from Indus to Anatolia

  5. Cyrus Scroll – Sign of Humane Rule Written in cuneiform Early human-rights declaration Released exiled peoples (possibly the Jews) Restored destroyed temples Knelt to pray at conquered people’s temples Ordered his soldiers to care for conquered peoples

  6. Death of Cyrus Cyrus died fighting nomadic invaders His son, Cambyses, continued to expand the empire…including Egypt

  7. Cambyses in Egypt Unlike his father, Cambyses orders the destruction of Egyptian monuments Egyptians revolt at his death 522 BCE

  8. 10,000 Immortals Darius leads this elite bodyguard and takes control of the empire Stabilizes the kingdom Puts down revolts Cannot conquer Greece

  9. Darius the “Administrator” Divided up territory in 20 provinces Each province was allowed its own religion and culture The local ruler was called a “satrap” Recognized the importance of trade and maintained the ….

  10. …Royal Road

  11. …and to make trade easier, Darius had a standard coin minted.

  12. After Several Generations, Further Expansion to the East and Failed Attempts to Conquer Greece, Darius III Comes to Power 336 BCE He inherits an unstable empire Maintaining a large empire is expensive Corrupt Satraps don’t pay taxes Repeated attempts at his life make him a little paranoid

  13. Battle of Gaugamela: Persians lose to Alexander the Great in 335 BC

  14. Alexander destroys Persepolis, effectively ends empire 331 BCE

  15. Cultural Influence: Zoroastrianism– Religion of Persians Zoroaster, founder Preached during the Axial Age around 600 BC Taught lessons about the struggle between good and evil spirits.

  16. Ahura Mazda Singular (One God) Will judge an individual on how well he or she fought the struggle for good Belief in angels and Satan also influences Judaism, Christianity and Islam

  17. Avesta - Scriptures

  18. Zoroastrian Priests today, but only about 190,000 left worldwide– why?

  19. Islam comes to Persia after 630 AD Some Muslim rulers allow Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians to worship freely Some rulers do not view Zoroastrians as “people of the book” Many Zoroastrians leave for India…these are called Parsis

  20. Zoroastrian traditions such as the Spring Festival (Norooz) survive in Islamic Iran

  21. Quiz! • What are 2 advantages that the Persian homeland had, allowing it to later expand? (2 points) • How was Cyrus an unusual conqueror? Be specific. • Who were satraps and why were they important? (2 points) • How was communication and trade facilitated in the Persian Empire? • Given what you know about Zoroastrianism, why is it sometimes called “dualist?”

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