Kyle Whittle
Period 7
September 13, 2010
If I lived in an Ancient Civilization
The ancient civilization that would be ideal to live in would be the Persians. A massive empire is
sometimes harder to control, but under the rule of Cyrus the Great, the Persians thrived. Cyrus the
great conquered Persia back from the Medes, which put him in control of an already big part of land. He
then proceeded to conquer huge amounts of land, such as Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and he expanded
out east. With the land that he conquered, Cyrus made sure to let the people follow their own customs,
which was a very wise decision from a political and militaristic standpoint. This process of not making
people accept the Persian customs, but encouraging it, led to massive cultural diffusion between the
lands that he conquered. The way that he did this was also strategic from a military standpoint because
it made people like his way of ruling, and they did not need to attack. Certain groups of people, like the
Jews, considered Cyrus a hero because although he conquered them, he freed them from their slavery
with the Chaldeans and let them go back to Jerusalem. Cyrus was a great leader, and he set up the best
ancient empire that there was, but his time in ruling was not the optimal time to be a Persian citizen.
Persian citizens really started to have the best life in the ancient world when Darius I took to
power. Darius was not liked for a while, but he changed that with his skillful leading techniques. Darius
made it so that not everyone had to participate in the military, there was a permanent one that fought
all of the battles. This made the empire more powerful, which was extremely useful in this time period
to prevent being conquered, and also to conquer other lands. Darius also helped his people by creating
coins to use as currency, which was very unusual in an ancient society. This made a very wealthy
economy, and trade within the empire grew. The Persians under Darius also made roads to increase
trade further and further across the empire, and there even was a highway called the Royal Road that
connected two distant cities. Darius I is a reason that Persia is the greatest ancient empire.
The Persian Empire was also full of culture from all of the regions that were a part of it. All of
the different peoples in the Empire greatly contributed to the cultural diffusion that made the Persian
Empire the great land that it was. This land was full of arts and architecture from all around the area,
and it all blended together to make a fascinating land. Animals were highly used in art because it could
have a deeper symbolism, and can be interpreted by each individual. Darius I built a city called
Persepolis, which was a monument to the glory of Persia. This city featured a huge audience hall unlike
anything else in the near-east at the time. It was the biggest structure in the city, and also the greatest.
This hall was held up by columns that were brilliantly painted and had stone figures on top. Persepolis
was not the only example of Persian artwork and architecture, other examples include golden lion heads
and bulls, and these same animals appeared on walls to the capital city of Susa.
The greatest empire of its time was Persia, and it would also be the best to live in. Cultural
customs blend together to create one of the greatest empires in ancient history, and this would be a
great empire to be a part of. Whether one served in the military, was an architect, a tradesman, or even
just a common citizen, Persia had something to give to almost everyone, and this makes it the best place
to live in the ancient world.