Chapter 4, Lesson 3: Persia Controls Southwest Asia Pages 128 - 133

Objectives Describe the rise of the Persian Empire in Asia Analyze the accomplishments of Cyrus and Darius, two notable Persian leaders

Vocabulary Anatolia Toleration Province Satrap Royal Road

How did we get to Asia? East of the Fertile Crescent was the land of the Medes (Media) These lands bridged east and west Asia

A Land Between East and West The Medes controlled lands that included the Persians Modern-day Iran Isolated from the rest of the Fertile Crescent The Zagros, Caucasus and Hindu Kush mountain ranges cut off the land from the sea and from the rest of the continent. The land of the Persians was mountainous with fertile valleys and some high plateaus Iron, copper, and semiprecious gems found in their land We are looking beyond the fertile crescent and to the rise of a great new empire in the region – the Persian empire.

Persians Occupy the Land Around 1000 B.C., Persians entered the region They created many tiny kingdoms Thrived through trade in horses and minerals with eastern and western Asia Nomadic invaders often came in and occupied the lands of the Medes Nomads from the plains of Central Asia Related to other nomadic people who would later move into Europe and into India Result of these invasions was much mixing of nomads' customs with other societies that lived there. They were related to other nomadic people who would later move into Europe and into India

Cyrus Founds the Persian Empire Cyrus, a powerful Persian king "Cyrus the Great" Vision of conquering lands around Persia to become one large empire First, conquered Anatolia (Asia Minor, which lies within modern- day Turkey) Between 550 and 539 B.C., Cyrus conquered the Fertile Crescent lands Anatolia: land within modern-day Turkey

A Wise Emperor Toleration: acceptance of habits, beliefs, and practices of others Cyrus set up a policy of toleration He allowed the conquered people to worship their own gods, speak their own languages, and practice their own ways of life. They had to pay tribute His policies made friends, not enemies He freed the Hebrews who had been captured by the Chaldeans. He allowed them to rebuild their temple and the city of Jerusalem

Treatment of Captured Peoples Ashurbanipal and the Assyrians Cyrus, Darius, and the Persians Used policies of cruelty Used policies of toleration Tortured leaders Allowed leaders to remain in power Burned cities Did not destroy homes Sent people into exile Allowed people to keep their own gods and culture Collected tribute

Why Can Cyrus be Considered a Wise Emperor? His policies of toleration treated people with respect.  HIs policies reduced unrest and brought peace.

Darius Expands the Empire Darius stepped in after Cyrus died – he was less tolerant than Cyrus He grew the Persian Empire to 2,800 miles east to west Darius divided empire into 20 provinces.  Each had a local government. Governors were known as satraps Carried out orders Collected taxes Province: a political division of a country Satraps: a Persian governor Darius added new policies to those set up by Cyrus He appointed a military commander for each satrap and sent out spies called "king's eyes and ears" to be sure his satraps followed orders.

Uniting the Empire Royal Road: a road in Persia used for government purposes The Royal Road was 1,775 miles long. Eastern end of the road was in Susa, western end was in Sardis on the Anatolian Peninsula. Royal messages were sent by a relay of messengers Also used for military troops and mail Promoted trade and business Minted coins promoted business; made it easy to pay taxes 1775 The policy of provinces ruled by satraps was only one way to unite the empire. It took about 7 days to get a message from one end of the road to the other end From the Lydians, a conquered people, Darius took the idea of minted coins.

Enemies of Persia Why it Matters... 486 B.C., Darius planned march against Egyptian rebels Darius died, so his son, Xerxes, dealt with Egypt. Why it Matters... The Persians showed that lands ruled with policies of toleration could be stable and peaceful.