Chapter 4 Greece and Iran 1000-30 B.C.E

Ancient Iran 1000-500 B.C.E. Geography and Resources Iran’s location, bounded by mountains, deserts, and the Persian Gulf, left it open to attack from Central Asian nomads The fundamental topographical features included high mountains on the edges, and deserts in the interior

Iran had limited natural resources Water was relatively scarce, and Iran’s environment could only support a limited population Because of the heat, irrigation networks had to use underground tunnels.

Iran had mineral resources—copper, tin, iron, gold, and silver—and plentiful timber.

The Rise of the Persian Empire The Median kingdom in northwestern Iran helped to destroy the Assyrian Empire in the late seventh century b.c.e The Persian Empire was built up by a series of three kings: Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius I

The Rise of the Persian Empire Rise and Fall of the Persian Empire

Cyrus captured the kingdom of Lydia (546 b. c. e Cyrus captured the kingdom of Lydia (546 b.c.e.), thus bringing all of Anatolia under his control, and later took Mesopotamia (539 b.c.e.) Cambyses defeated Egypt and sent expeditions to Nubia and Libya. Under Darius I, the role of the Medes declined as the Persians asserted greater dominance

Tomb of Cyrus Cyrus the Great (r. 559-530 B.C.E.), king of the Persians, was one of the most remarkable statesmen of antiquity. For all his greatness Cyrus retained a sense of perspective. His tomb, though monumental in size, is rather simple and unostentatious. Greek writers reported that it bore the following epitaph: "O man, I am Cyrus. I established the Persian Empire and was king of Asia. Do not begrudge me my memorial."

Persepolis Persepolis Darius I began the elaborate citadel; his son, Xerxes, continued its construction; and his grandson, Artaxerxes I, completed the magnificent city of Persepolis, which was a confluence of styles--Median, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek. Only portions of the audience hall remain. (George Holton/Photo Researchers, Inc.) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Imperial Organization and Ideology From Darius on, the empire was divided into twenty provinces; a satrap who was related or connected to the royal court administered each province Provinces were required to pay annual tribute

The central government tended to hoard so much gold and silver that these metals became scarce and more expensive The provinces were crossed by a system of well-maintained roads that converged on the capital city of Susa (in southwestern Iran)

The Persian kings developed a style of kingship in which they were held as powerful masters of all their subjects and nobles They held vast amounts of land. Kings acted as lawgivers, but allowed each people of the empire to live in accordance with its own traditions

Silver rhyton This Achaemenid Persian silver rhyton (drinking vessel) is in the shape of a griffin, a mythological animal that is part lion and part eagle. Persian rulers commanded the talents of western Asia's best artists and craftsmen, silversmiths among them.

Religion of Persia The major religion of the Persian Empire was Zoroastrianism. The origins of this religion are unclear The most important text, the Gathas, (the hymns of Zoroastrianism), were written by Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who lived sometime between 1700 and 500 b.c.e

Zoroastrianism shows the existence of a dualistic universe in which the god of good, Ahuramazda, was locked in an epic struggle against the god of evil, Angra Mainyu Zoroastrianism’s dualism may have had an influence on Judaism and thus on Christianity

Relief of two Persian Magi This stone relief from Dascylium, headquarters of the Persian governor in northwest Anatolia, shows two magi wearing veils over their mouths and holding bundles of sticks used in the ceremony of sacrifice. The Persian kings and their subordinates were Zoroastrians, and it is likely that Zoroastrianism spread to the provinces, where significant numbers of Persians lived, and influenced the beliefs of other peoples. (Courtesy, Archaeological Museums of Istanbul)

Detail from the first page from Artae Viraz Namak, the sacred Zoroastrian book. Founded by a Persian prophet, Zoroaster, in the 500's B.C.E., Zoroastrianism thrived as a religion in Persia from about 550 to 330 B.C.E. There were periods of revival in the following centuries, but the faith was largely eclipsed by the spread of Islam beginning in the 7th century A.D. Zoroastrianism today is practiced by a small minority in Iran and by a people called Parsis in India. The religion teaches a belief in one God, Ahura Mazda, who wages a struggle against the forces of evil.