Persians 550 BC-Present

Origin Persia was established by Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C. Cyrus the Great established Persia when he conquered the Median, Lydian, and Babylonian Empire. Ancient Persia’s empire was between the borders of present day India and China to the east and west. To the north and south Persia was between present day Libya and Greece. In present day Persia is located in Iran. Key Ideas: Persia was (and is) located in the modern day Middle East Was one of the most expansive empires in history

Culture Key Ideas: Big part of Persian culture was arts and poetry Persians are very true to their culture. After the Arab invasion of Persia, Persians had a choice to give in to the Arab beliefs (muslim) and language (Arab) or stay strong and they stood strong. Some of the the most notable attributes of Persian culture where there arts and poetry. The biggest impact persians had on art were in their ability to make woven carpets scented with oils these tapestries were originally made for praying but know u can find them all over the world. Persians also had some of the most beautiful poetry ever they are the forefathers of 4 different types of poetry epic, ghasideh, masnavi, and ghazal. All 4 of these types of poetry are still used today. Key Ideas: Big part of Persian culture was arts and poetry Persians were not forced to believe Arab beliefs or speak the Arabic language (Farsi in ancient Persia

Religion Cyrus the great happened to be very liberal about the way he ruled. He also ruled through the beliefs of zoroastrian, the most prominent religion in the Persian Empire. Cyrus was one of the few leaders who forced religion upon people. Due to Cyrus’ lenience, the Jews were affected in very positive ways allowing their own religion to grow, only to become one of the most popular religions in the world. When Alexander The Great conquered most of the Persian empire, they’re religion took a savage blow. Almost everything was lost, but the foundation of the religion, recorded in the Gathas, survived. Things to Remember: Persian’s main religion is Zoroastrian People not persecuted for not believing in the same religion When Alexander The Great stormed in most of Zoroastrian was lost Main things to go over Persian’s main religion is Zoroastrian People not persecuted for not believing in the same religion When Alexander The Great stormed in most of Zoroastrian was lost

Language The native language to persia (now days Iran) is Farsi, which is a branch of indo- Iranian. Faris is still a major language in the middle east with over 45 million native speakers, and 110 total fluent. Things to remember: Fersi is still the official language of Iran Fersi comes from indo- Iranian descent Over 110 million people still speak Farsi

The Persian Empire The first persian empire, The Achaemenid Empire, was established by Cyrus the Great. Persia is now the country of Iran. It was formed around 550 B.C. and is still around today. The empire was established with the conquest of Median, Lydian and Babylonian empires. Notable Leaders From 559 BC -> 424 BC: 559-530 BC- Cyrus the Great 529-522 BC- Cambyses (son) 522 BC- Smerdis (Bardiya) (brother) 521-486 BC- Darius I, The Great 485-465 BC- Xerxes I (son) 464-424 BC- Artaxerxes I, Longimanus (son) 424 BC- Xerxes II (son) 424 BC- Sondianus (brother) Main Things to go over: When did the empire start (550 BC) Most notable leaders (Cyprus) Empire still exists in present day Iran

Bibliography “Religions - Zoroastrian: Under Persian Rule.” BBC. BBC, 02 Oct. 2009. Web. Davidson, Peter. “Achaemenid Empire.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 7 Feb. 2011, www.ancient.eu/Acheamenid_Empire/. Persiansarenotarabs.com