The Empires of
Persia
Chapter 7
Achaemenid Empire
I. The rise and fall of the Persian empires
A. The Achaemenid Empire
Cyrus
The Medes and the Persians
Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae
• 2 closely related
people: Medes &
Persians (from C.
Asia to Persia)
• Indo-European
languages
• shared many
cultural traits
with Aryans
• equestrian skills
• expert archers
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Cyrus the
Achaemenid
(reigned 558530bce)
• aka “Cyrus the
Shepherd”
• tough, wily
leader &
outstanding
military
strategist
• led first Persian
Empire
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Cyrus’s Conquest
558 bce king of
Persian tribes
553 bce rebellion
against his Median
overlord
548 bce all Iran under
his control,
conquered Babylon
ruler of empire that
stretched from India
to borders of Egypt
530 bce mortally
wounded from
nomadic raiders
The Achaemenid Empire
Darius
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Ruins of Persepolis
Cyrus’s empire expanded during
the reign’s of his successors
Cyrus’s son Camyses conquered
Egypt
Darius (reigned 521bce-486bce)
extended both east & west
largest empire the world had seen
better administrator than
conqueror
ruled over 70 distinct ethnic
groups
communication w/all parts of
their realm, created institutions
that allowed them to tax and
administer their territories
Achaemenid Administration:
The Satrapies
Persepolis
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Darius centralized his
administration
Persepolis=new capital
administrative center
lavish halls, royal
residences, well
protected treasury
advisors, ministers,
diplomats, scribes,
accountants,
translators &
bureaucratic officers
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central & local initiative
governors were agents of central
administration and oversaw affairs
in the various regions
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23 satrapies – districts governed by
the satraps
local officials filled other jobs below
the satrap
military and tax officers checked on
the local power of the satraps
“eyes and ears of the king”conducted surprise audits of the
provinces & collecting intelligence
reports
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Discussion Questions
1. In looking at both rulers, Cyrus and Darius, which
one do you think was more successful and why? (2
pieces of evidence)
2. What do you think creates a strong empire? A
strong military or strong gov’t?Why?(2 pieces of
evidence)
The Achaemenid Empire
Taxes, Coins, and Laws
Roads and Communication
Persian Roads
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regularized tax levies and
standardized laws
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replaced with tribute
payments with formal
tax levies
• had to pay a quantity of
silver, horses and slaves
• issued standardized
coins which fostered
trade
• codified laws of the
different subjects within
the region
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roads across the realm
Persian Royal Roads-paved with stone
stretched 1600 miles, took 90 days to
travel this road
organized courier service
stations provided fresh horses & food
pass info from one end of the road to
the other in 2 weeks
these roads also facilitated trade which
integrate various regions
into a
larger economy
Discussion Questions
3. How do you think standardized coins, codified laws,
roads and taxes create an efficient empire?
The Decline and Fall of the Achaeminid Empire
Silver Coin of Alexander of Macedon
The Achaeminid
Commonwealth
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roads and administrative
machinery enabled them to
govern a vast empire
political stability led to public
works
qanat-underground canals led
to enhanced agricultural
production and population
growth
subject peoples and rulers
undermined integrity of the
Achaemenid empire
Cyrus and Darius were both
tolerant
Xerxes (reigned 486bce-465bce)
had a harder time with these
people
reputation for cruelty and
insensitivity
iron metallurgy spread
The Persian Wars
Alexander of Macedon
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difficult time w/ethnic Greek
subjects
Ionian Greeks fell under Persian
rule during the reign of Cyrus
Greeks called the Persian “tyrants”
Greek rebellion caused a series of
wars called the Persian Wars
150 years of intermittent battle
occurred between the Persian and
Greeks
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Invades Persia in 334bce
Military had heavier arms,
more sophisticated tactics
Battle of Gaugamela- one
year defeated the Persian
army and took over the
Achaemenid empire
Alexander acted like the
legitimate successor and
kept many aspects of the
Achaeminid empire (ex.
Administrative structure)
Discussion Questions
4. Alexander the Great was a foreign ruler in the
Persian empire. Why do you think he was so
successful?
The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid Empires
• Alexander dies,
internal conflict a new
leader, Seleucus (reigned
305-281bce), commander
of elite guard corps
• kept many Achaeminid
concepts:
administration, taxation,
imperial roads, & postal
service
• Seleucids founded new
cities, attracted Greek
colonists
• Satraps revolted against
the foreign Seleucids
created power bases to
oppose the Seleucids
• Seleucids lost control in
N India to the
seminomadic Parthians.
Parthian
Conquests
The Parthians
The Seleucids
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maintained
customs and
traditions of the
steppes people of
C Asia
no centralized
gov’t but a
federation of
leaders, got
together to
organize policy.
skillful warriors
effective means to
resist nomadic
invasions
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Mithradates I
is the greatest
conqueror
Transforms
state to a
mighty
empire
Parthian
Government
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enemies of Seleucids,
restores Persian traditions
followed Achaemenids in
structuring their empire
• responsibility and
authority to clan leaders,
served as satraps, built
independent bases of
power
• internal pressure by
satraps and Romans
contributed to the
weakening of the Parthians
• 3rd century ce the empire
declines
The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid Empires
The Sasanids
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Claimed direct descent from
the Achaemenids.
Conquered the Parthians
and brought back much of
the Achaemenid empire.
Restarted administration
and cities.
Leader Shapur I defeated
several Roman armies
Constructed roads and
dams.
After Shapur I, Sasanids
came in conflict with
bordering peoples (Kushan,
Roman, Byzantine)
This weakens the empire
and ends with an attack by
Arab warriors that brought
the empire into their Islamic
empire.
The Islamic empire adopted
many of their administrative
techniques.
Discussion Questions
5. Create a multi-Venn diagram comparing and
contrasting the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanids.
IMPERIAL SOCIETY & ECONOMY
Social Development in Classical Persia
Imperial Bureaucrats
Free Classes
Slaves
Persian Qanats
• new educated
bureaucrats
• undermine old
warrior elite
• shared power
with warrior
elite and clan
leaders
• translators
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artisans, merchants,
craftsmen, low ranking civil
servatns
peasants who owned land,
landless cultivators who
worked on property owned
the state or temples.
right to marry and move as
they wish
qanat (underground canals) move water w/o losing large
quantities to evaporation
two routes:
prisoner of
war, civilians
who rebelled
or those who
accumulated
debt, could not
marry often
worked state
projects
Economic Foundations of Classical Persia
Agricultural Production
a. Barley and wheat
Standardized Coins
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Encouraged economic
development and trade
trade benefited from
standardized coins
coins were precisely
measured metal and
guaranteed their value
coins were popular and
drew merchants from
distant lands
banks and companies
invested in commercial
ventures
Trade
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Long distance trade
grew rapidly
linked lands from
India to Egypt in a
commercial zone
each region
contributed particular
products
long distance trade
became popular
Alexander of
Macedon and the
Seleucids
Zarathustra and His Faith
The Gathas
Zarathustra
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priest who became
disenchanted with
traditional religion and
bloody sacrifices
convinced there was a
supreme god called
Ahura Mazda
claimed as a prophet
Zoroastrian
Teachings
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Hymns he composed in
honor of various deities
he recognized
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Ahura Mazda=supreme
deity, eternal, beneficent
creator of all good things
Angra
Mainyu=destructive
spirit or hostile spirit
Ahura Mazda & Angra
Mainyu are adversaries.
Forces of good would
prevail against evil and
evil would disappear.
Human souls undergo
judgment and experience
rewards or punishment
according to the holiness
of their thoughts, words
and deeds
Popularity of
Zoroastrianism
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did not ask to
renounce material
things in the world
in to reach heaven
material world a
blessing
moral teachings
allowed people to
enjoy the fruits of
the earth
moral teachings as
“good faith, good
works, good deeds”
Darius (emperor)
associated himself
with Ahura Mazda
and claimed divine
sanction for their
Discussion Questions
6. Why do you think Zoroastrianism was popular? (2
pieces of evidence)
Religions of Salvation in a Cosmopolitan
Society
Officially Sponsored
Zoroastrianism
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Sasanid dynasty
revived Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism faced
difficulties when
Islamic conquerors took
over the Sasanid empire
The Muslims place
political and financial
difficulty on the
temples
and
magi
Other Faiths
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Jewish communities
existed
Manichaeism
Influence of Zoroastrianism
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left its mark on other religions
of salvations
the ideas that developed:
omnipotent deity, evil against
the creator, good will prevail,
high moral standards, humans
undergo judgment
Discussion Questions
7. Knowing what you know now about Zoroastrianism
do you think that Christianity is an original religion or
do you think it took parts of that religion? Why or Why
not?