Chapter 4 Section 3
The Persian Empire
The Rise of Persia
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Assyrians used force
to control
Persians used
tolerance and
diplomacy
Iran
The Persian Homeland
Dozens of kingdoms
 Two major powers
emerged: Medes and
Persians
 King Cyrus
lead the Persians
to overthrow the
Medes (550 b.c.)

Cyrus the Great Founds an Empire
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Military genius
Honored local
customs and religions
Allowed Jews to
return to Jerusalem

Jews rebuilt their city
and temple
Persian Rule

530 B.C. Cyrus dies
Cyrus the Great (559-529 BC)
"I am Cyrus, who founded the empire of the Persians.
Grudge me not therefore, this little earth that covers my body."
Tomb of Cyrus II
of Persia at
Pasargadae,
Iran.
Cambyses and Darius

Cambyses takes over
Egypt.
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Was he like Cyrus to the
Egyptian people?
Destroyed Egyptian
culture and religious
idols.
Cambyses and Darius Continued
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522 B.C, with the help
of the Ten Thousand
Immortals, Darius
seizes control
He brought peace to
the empire then
focused on extending
the empire
Immortals
The 'Immortals', is the Greek term for
the elite of the Persian army. They
were hand picked for their bravery
and so rewarded.
Their name coming from the way
their number never fell below ten
thousand. The division was always
kept up to full strength, retired or
fallen soldiers were always replaced.
In this way their strength was always
10,000 men, never more or never
less.
Entry to the ranks of the Immortals
was restricted to those with Persian,
Mede or Elamite ancestory.
Provinces and Satraps (Ways rule was kept)
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Darius split
expanding empire
into 20 provinces
Allowed people to
keep their cultural
traditions in place
Provinces and Satraps Continued
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A satrap, governor, who kept local rule; a
military leader and tax collector were appointed
to each province
System of roads were put in place; allowed for
quicker communication
Coins were used to promote trade
The Royal Road
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Ran from Susa in Persia
to Sardis in Anatolia
1,677 miles long
Relay stations had fresh
horses for kings
messengers
Took them 7 days to travel
the entire road system
Caravans took up to three
months
The body of the king of kings was balmed,
placed in a coffin and transported to Naqs-I
Rustam, (by Persepolis) where his tomb
had been prepared a long time ago. Darius'
eunuch, Bagapates, had guarded Darius'
tomb for seven years before the great king
died, which suggests that it was finished in
493.
The Persian Legacy
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Zoroastrism
Zoroastrianism was founded in the 6th century before Christ by the Persian prophet
Zoroaster; at the time of Buddha.
It was the official religion of the Persian Empire until it was conquered by Alexander the
Great in 330 after Christ... if the battles at Marathon and Salamis would have been won
by the Persians, today we would have probably in the Western civilization Zoroastrianism,
instead of Christianity... finally the Muslims defeated them in the 7th century AC.
The Zoroastrians were scattered, and today there are left 115,000 around Bombay, in
India, and 7,000 in the United States.
Zoroastrianism was thus the first to teach clearly the doctrines of an individual judgment,
Heaven and Hell, the future resurrection of the body, the general Last Judgment, and life
everlasting for the reunited soul and body. These doctrines were to become familiar
articles of faith to much of mankind, through borrowings by Judaism, Christianity and
Islam.
Zoroaster’s Teachings
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Earth is a battleground
where everyone must
partake in the fight with
good and evil.
Ahura Mazda is the one
god
Judges how one fights for
the battle of good
600’s religion declined
Political Order

Persian tolerance and
good government
brought political rest
to Southwest Asia.