SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3, Persia Controls Southwest Asia

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 1 *What was the land of the Persians like? *The Medes controlled lands, that included the Persians, where modern day Iran lies. *It is mountainous with fertile valleys and some high plateaus. *This land was isolated from the Fertile Crescent because mountain ranges cut off the land from the sea and from the rest of the continent. *Most people lived at the edge of a high plateau in the middle of the region or in mountain valleys. *Iron, copper, and semiprecious gems could be found in the land.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 2 -How did the presence of the nomadic tribes affect Persia? -Nomadic invaders often swept in and occupied the lands of the Medes. -The result of these invasions was much mixing of nomads’ customs with other societies that lived there. -About 1000 BC, Persians entered the region and created many tiny kingdoms that thrived through trade in horses and minerals with eastern and western Asia. -These kingdoms grew in power and began to threaten the Medes control of the land.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 3 *Who started the Persian Empire? *The Medes ruled Persia until a brilliant, powerful Persian king named Cyrus took control. *Cyrus led with swift, deadly attacks in the region. *Cyrus conquered Anatolia, also called Asia Minor which lies within modern-day Turkey. *Then between 550 and 539 BC, Cyrus conquered the Fertile Crescent making his empire immense. -Cyrus ruled by setting up a policy of toleration, which allowed the people to keep their customs and beliefs.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 4 *Who started the Persian Empire? Continued *Cyrus allowed the conquered peoples to worship their own gods, speak their own languages, and practice their own ways of life. *Cyrus’s policies of respect and tolerance made friends instead of enemies. *He freed the Hebrew people, who had been captured by the Chaldeans, and allowed them to rebuild their temple in the city of Jerusalem. *Cyrus’s policy of toleration made governing the empire much easier and made him a wise leader.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 5 -Who replaced Cyrus as Persian Emperor? -After Cyrus died, a weak, less-tolerant ruler faced rebellions in the empire. -Then a strong leader named Darius I came to power. -Darius I spent his first years as emperor dealing with rebellious peoples. -After he put down the revolts, he moved to conquer lands as far east of India. -The Persian Empire grew to 2,800 miles from east to west.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 6 -Who replaced Cyrus as Persian Emperor? continued -The empire was so large that Darius added new policies to those set up by Cyrus. -Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces, which are areas of land similar to a state that have a local government. -Darius set up governors called satraps to carry out his orders in the provinces and to collect taxes. -He appointed military generals for each satrap and sent out spies to make sure they followed his orders. These policies allowed him to have greater control over all of the lands.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 7 *How did Darius unite the empire? *The policy of provinces ruled by Satraps was only one way to unite the empire. *Darius started the use of a Royal Road, or road for government purposes. *The Royal Road was 1,775 miles long and was used to send royal messages by a relay of messengers. *It took about seven days for messages to move from one side of the road to the other. *Military troops, trade and business, and mail moved along it to all parts of the empire to the capital.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 8 *How did Darius unite the empire? continued *Darius took the idea of minted coins from Hammurabi’s law code model. *The coins promoted business, made it easy to pay taxes, and were good throughout the empire.

SS Chapter 4, Lesson 3 Slide 9 -Summary -Tiny Persian kingdoms thrived due to trade. -Cyrus the Great ruled the Persian Empire with a policy of toleration. -Darius formed provinces and appointed satraps to improve government.

Questions??? Slide 10 Which group of people originally controlled the lands of modern-day Iran? Who became the first Persian Emperor? What was the policy used by Cyrus that allowed him to rule the empire? How far did the empire of Darius I grow? What was the Royal Road used for? What were minted coins used for?