Persia Unites many Lands
Chapter 4.3
Main Ideas
• Geography- Persia’s location between
Mesopotamia and India was a bridge between
eastern and western Asia
• Government- Cyrus used a policy of toleration
• Government- To better govern, Persia divided
its lands into smaller units and developed an
imperial bureaucracy.
• Religion- Persia practiced Zoroastrainism
Essential Question
• What was the land of Persians like?
Mountains, Deserts, and a Plateau
• The lands of the Medes included Persians in
modern-day Iran
• Mountain ranges isolated Persia from the rest
of the Fertile Crescent
• Iron, copper, semiprecious gems found in the
land
Persian Empire 500 B.C.
Cyrus Founds the Persian Empire
•
•
•
•
Essential Questions:
What was the rule of Cyrus like?
Why can Cyrus be considered a wise emperor?
How did Darius control his empire?
Why did Darius divide the empire?
The Rise of Persia
• Unlike the Assyrians who used force to control
a vast empire, the Persians would use
tolerance and diplomacy.
• After the Medes overthrew the Assyrian
Empire in 612 B.C., they joined the Persians as
the other major power in the region.
• Soon, the Persians would dominate even the
Medes
People
Cyrus the Great
Ruled from 559 to 530 BCE, he started the Persian
Empire and was known for treating his subjects well
Darius
Ruler of Persian Empire who reorganized it into 20
provinces (satrapies) to make it run better.
Xerxes
Son of Darius, he vowed revenge against the
Athenians and led the Persians in a new invasion of
Greece in 480 BCE
People
Themistocles
Athenian general who created the strategy to
fight against Xerxes and his Persians.
(cut off the shipments of food brought in by
boat and starve them out)
Herodotus (p.135)
Author of History of the Persian Wars, he
described the conflict as one between
freedom and dictatorship. Persian Wars is
considered to be the first real history in
Western civilization
Cyrus the Great
• Persian King that began a conquest of several
neighboring kingdoms in Iran.
• Conquered the entire Fertile Crescent and
most of Anatolia
• Although his military might was great, Cyrus
would be remembered for his method of
governing.
Differences in Leadership
Sennacherib
• Burned and sacked 89 cities
and 820 villages
• Killed most of the
inhabitants, beheading
many.
• Chose Assyrian or Assyrianfriendly kings to govern
conquered lands.
• Levied heavy taxes on the
conquered.
Cyrus
• His generals enforced strict
discipline against looting and
burning.
• Honored the local customs
and religions of the conquered
• Knelt to pray in the local
temple.
• Babylon opened it’s gates for
Cyrus to enter, a bloodless
victory for Cyrus
• Allowed the Jews to return to
Jerusalem.
Persian Rule and Religion
After Cyrus’ death, his successors had both successes and failures.
Cambyses:
• Cyrus’ son
• Extended the Persian
Empire into Egypt, but
scorned the Egyptian
religion.
• Destroyed many of the
Egyptian statues of their
idols and gods
• After his death, many
rebellions broke out.
Darius
• Started as the king’s
bodyguard
• With the help of soldiers,
claimed the throne.
• Expanded the empire , over
2500 miles east to west
• Divided his empire into 20
provinces.
Places
Persia
Area that is now southwestern Iran
Marathon
A city located close to Athens, and the site of
one of the first battles between Persia and the
Greeks.
Thermopylae
A narrow pass through the mountains, and
the location of an important battle during the
2nd Persian invasion.
Places/Define
Salamis
a narrow strait and location of a naval battle in which
the Greeks defeated the larger Persian ships
Satrapies
provinces(20 in number) in ancient Persia, created by
Darius to make a more efficient government
Satrap
ruler of each province, he acted as judge, tax
collector, chief of police, and recruiter for the army.
All satraps answered to the king.
Provinces and satraps
• Darius divided his empire into 20 provinces.
• These “nationalities”:
– Practiced their own religion
– Spoke their own language
– Had their own laws
• Although these groups had many freedoms, Darius still
ruled absolutely.
• Installed satraps, or governors, in each province, which
ruled under his command
• They were kept honest by inspectors, who he called his
“eyes and ears”
Keeping the Empire together
• The Royal Road
– Linked his empire together
• Manufacturing coins
– First use of standardized coins
The Royal Road
Persian Religion
• Zoroaster:
– Persian Prophet who lived around 600 B.C.
– Helped people deal with the suffering and chaos they dealt
with every day.
• Taught that 2 armies fight for possession of your soul
– Ahura Mazda leads the good army
– Ahriman leads the bad
• Each person, at their death, would be judged on their
life.
– Followers of Mazda would be lifted into paradise.
– Followers of Ahriman would burn forever in a fiery pit.
• Sound familiar?
Summary
• Persian kingdoms succeed due to trade
• Cyrus the Great ruled the Persian Empire with
policy of toleration
• Darius formed provinces and appointed
satraps
• Zoroastrianism was the official religion of
Persia
Why it matters now?
– Persians showed that lands ruled with policies of
toleration could be stable and peaceful.
• What is the political climate of this region today?