Chapter 7 The Empires of Persia 1©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Persian Empires Contemporary Iran Four major dynasties  Achaemenids ( B.C.E.)  Seleucids ( B.C.E.)  Parthians (247 B.C.E.-224 C.E.)  Sasanids ( C.E.) 2 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Achaemenid Empire ( B.C.E.) Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 B.C.E.  Indo-Europeans Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires Cyrus (r B.C.E.) founder of dynasty  “Cyrus the Shepherd” Peak under Darius (r B.C.E.)  Ruled Indus to the Aegean  Capital Persepolis 3 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Achaemenid Administration: The Satrapies Twenty-three administrative divisions Satraps Persian, but staff principally local System of spies, surprise audits  Minimized possibilities of local rebellion Standardized currency for taxation purposes Massive road building, courier services 4 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Technologies Qanat: System of underground canals  Avoided excessive loss to evaporation  In the early part of the first millennium B.C., Persians started constructing elaborate tunnel systems called qanats for extracting groundwater in the dry mountain basins of present-day Iran. Qanat tunnels were hand-dug, just large enough to fit the person doing the digging. Along the length of a qanat, which can be several kilometers, vertical shafts were sunk at intervals of 20 to 30 meters to remove excavated material and to provide ventilation and access for repairs. The main qanat tunnel sloped gently down from pre-mountainous alluvial fans to an outlet at a village. From there, canals would distribute water to fields for irrigation. These amazing structures allowed Persian farmers to succeed despite long dry periods when there was no surface water to be had. Many qanats are still in use stretching from China on the east to Morocco on the west, and even to the Americas. Extensive road-building  Persian Royal Road 1600 miles, some of it paved  Courier service 5 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Decline of the Achaemenid Empire Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius  Rebuilding of temple in Jerusalem Xerxes ( B.C.E.) harshly represses rebellions in Mesopotamia and Egypt Increasing public discontent 6 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Persian Wars ( B.C.E.) Rebellious Greeks in Ionia Peninsular Greeks join in Persians defeated at Marathon (490 B.C.E.), retreated Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid empire ( B.C.E.) 7 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Xerxes – Thermopylae 480 BCE

Seleucid Empire Alexander the Great dies suddenly Generals divide empire, best part goes to Seleucus (r B.C.E.) Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of Parthians 8 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Achaemenid and Seleucid Empires, B.C.E. and B.C.E. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9

Parthian Empire Seminomadic Parthians drive Seleucus out of Iran Federated governmental structure Especially strong cavalry Weakened by ongoing wars with Romans Fell to internal rebellion 10 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Sasanid Empire ( C.E.) Claimed descent from Achaemenids Continual conflicts with Rome, Byzantium in the west, Kush in the east Overwhelmed by Arab conquest in 651 Persian administration and culture absorbed into local Islamic culture 11 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Parthian and Sasanid Empires, 247 B.C.E.-651 C.E. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12

Persian Society Early steppe traditions  Warriors, priests, peasants  Family/clan kinship very important Creation of bureaucrat class with empire  Tax collectors  Record keepers  Translators 13 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Slave Class Prisoners of war, conquered populations Debtors Children, spouses also sold into slavery Principally domestic servitude  Some agricultural labor, public works 14 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Persian Economy Several areas exceptionally fertile Long-distance trade benefits from Persian road-building Goods from India especially valued 15 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Zoroastrianism Early Aryan influences on Persian religious traditions Zarathustra (late seventh to early sixth century B.C.E.) Prophet of Ahura Mazda, against Angra Mainyu Priests of Zarathustra known as magi Oral teachings until Sasanid period composed Gathas 16 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Fortunes of Zoroastrianism Under Alexander: massacre of magi, burning Zoroastrian temples Weak Parthian support Major revival under Sasanids, persecution of non-Zoroastrians Discrimination under Islam 17 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Other Religious Groups in the Persian Empire Major Mesopotamian communities of Jews Composition of the Talmud, ca. 500 C.E.  “Constitution of Judaism” Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also survived mkVSasZIM mkVSasZIM ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18