Persian Empire

Rise of Persia Included in ancient day Iran Cyrus the Great Prosperous farmland and a lot of minerals Copper, lead, gold, silver Trade with neighbors East and West Cyrus the Great Military and governing genius Began conquering neighboring kingdoms in Iran Extended rule from Indus River to Anatolia (2,000 miles) Kindness toward conquered people Honored culture of places he conquered

Under Persian rule, people had a lot of freedom Babylon opened gates to Cyrus the Great Allowed Jews that were deported to return to Jerusalem Cyrus loses his life in battle

Persian Rule and Religion Cambyses extended empire by gaining Egypt Did not treat people as well as Cyrus Cambyses dies and rebellion breaks out Darius Began as kings bodyguard 10,000 immortals helped seize throne for Darius 1st 3 years of reign putting down revolts Inability to conquer Greece

Provinces and Satraps Darius broke empire into 20 provinces Similar to homeland of groups of people Still practiced same religion Spoke their own language / followed their own laws Installed a governor called a satraps in each province Inspectors to check on satraps Also appointed an army leader and tax collector Excellent road system and use of standardized money Royal Road – stretched 1,677 miles Trade helped hold the empire together

Religion Why should so much suffering and chaos exist in the world? Persian Prophet Zoroaster Two spiritual armies fight for possession of a person’s soul Ahura Mada (god of truth and light) Ahriman (god of evil and darkness) People judged by what side they choose Avesta became the holy writings People’s own choices controlled their fate