First Empires
I. From States to Empires
II. Neo-Assyrian Empire, 911-612 BCE
III. Persian Empire, 559-331 BCE
IDs: Forced Assyrianization, Ashur, Royal Road,
eyes and ears
Empires: Argument
Faced with the same problem of controlling a
large multi-ethnic empire, the Neo-Assyrians
tried to assimilate subject peoples by force,
while the Persians used lenient multi-ethnic
policies to attract the support of subject
peoples.
I. From State to Empire
A. CulturesStates (ca. 1500 BCE)
States: Union of kingship & religion
Nomads  Charioteer elites in new
states
Problems for Kings:
*Control of
Conquered
People
Control of Regional Elites
Biggest problems
of early kings:
How to control
regional elites
(nobility),
governors &
army leaders
Differences between states and
empires
State
Empire
Medium to large
Very large (whole region)
Many ethnic groups,
societies, former states
One ethnic group (or at
most a few)
II. World’s First Empire: Neo-Assyria,
911-612 BCE
A. Expansion
Military Power
B. Terror
C. Deportation & resettlement of
subject populations
• Destroy identity 
Forced
“Assyrianization”
• Slave labor
• Remove trouble
D. Annual Appointment of Provincial
Governors
• Tiglath Pileser III
• Abolished hereditary
system
• Control from center
• King gives rewards to
new elite
E. Ideology & Propaganda
• Divine destiny
• Ashur
• Holy war
F. Fall of Neo-Assyrian Empire
III. Persian Empire, 559-331 BCE
A. Conquest
Cyrus the Great
Darius I
B. Leniancy
C. Multicultural Empire
D. Propaganda
Representatives of
Ethnic Groups
Bringing Gifts to
Persian King
Reliefs on Staircase
to Audience Hall
in Persepolis
Ca. 500 BCE
E. Administration
• Satraps
• Satrapy
• Eyes and Ears
Royal Road: unifying infrastructure
(Susa to Sardis)
Persepolis
F. Ideology
Divine kingship
“King of kings”
Ahura Mazda
Religion: Zoroastrianism
Zoroaster, 6th
century BCE
Ahura Mazda
dualism
Ahiram
Argument
• The Neo-Assyrians and the Persians had the
same problems of controlling a large empire,
but they used very different projects to solve
those problems. The Neo-Assyrians relied on
terror and compulsion, while the Persians
used leniency and attraction.