1. Welcome to Period 2!!!
600 to 600!!!

2. Big Picture States and Empires increase in size
Increased contact between groups
Religion and beliefs bond people and provide and ethical code
Religious and political authority often merged in a leader
New belief systems and cultural traditions

3. More Big Picture Belief systems affected gender roles
Artistic expression shows cultural development(literature, drama, architecture, sculpture)
Competition and conflict for resources
Powerful military machines
Political unity where there had been competing states

4. What is an empire?
Simple answer-political systems with coercive powers
Larger more aggressive states
Conquer other states-use their resources, multiple peoples and cultures under a single political system
No clear line between empires and small multiethnic states

5. Classical Empires-common problems
Rule directly or through locals?
Gain wealth while maintaining order?
Impose culture on local people?
All eventually collapsed

6. Impact of Classical Empires
Large imposing size
Blood and violent conquest
Majority of humans lived in empires
Exchange of ideas, cultures, values
Peace and security encouraged commerce, development and cultural mixing

7. Persian Empires Contemporary Iran Four major dynasties
Achaemenids ( BCE)
Seleucids ( BCE)
Parthians (247 BCE-224 CE)
Sasanids ( CE)

8. Achaemenid Empire (558-330 BCE)
Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 BCE
Indo-Europeans
Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires
Cyrus (r BCE) founder of dynasty
“Cyrus the Shepherd”
Peak under Darius (r BCE)
Ruled Indus to the Aegean
Capital Persepolis

9. Achaemenid Administration: The Satrapies
23 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

10. Technologies Qanat: System of underground canals
Avoided excessive loss to evaporation
Extensive road-building
Persian Royal Road
1,600 miles, some of it paved
Courier service

11. Decline of the Achaemenid Empire
Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius
Rebuilding of Temple in Jerusalem
Xerxes ( BCE) attempts to impose Persian stamp on satrapies
Increasing public discontent

12. Persian Wars (500-479 BCE) Rebellious Greeks in Ionia
Peninsular Greeks join in
Persians defeated at Marathon (490 BCE), retreated
Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid Empire ( BCE)

13. Seleucid Empire Alexander the Great dies suddenly
Generals divide empire, best part goes to Seleucus (r BCE)
Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of Parthians

14. The Achaemenid and Selucid empires, 558-83 B.C.E.

15. 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

16. Sasanid Empire (224-651 CE) 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

17. The Parthian and Sasanid empires, 247 B.C.E.-651 C.E

18. Persian Society Early steppe traditions
Warriors, priests, peasants
Family/clan kinship very important
Creation of bureaucrat class with Empire
Tax collectors
Record keepers
translators

19. Slave Class Prisoners of war, conquered populations Debtors
Children, spouses also sold into slavery
Principally domestic servitude
Some agricultural labor, public works

20. Persian Economy Several areas exceptionally fertile
Long-distance trade benefits from Persian road-building
Goods from India especially valued

21. Zoroastrianism Early Aryan influences on Persian religious traditions
Zarathustra (late 7th-early 6th c. BCE)
Prophet of Ahura Mazda, against Angra Mainu
Priests of Zarathustra known as Magi
Oral teachings until Sasanid period composed Gathas

22. 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

23. Other Religious Groups in the Persian Empire
Major Mesopotamian communities of Jews
Composition of the Talmud, c. 500 CE
“constitution of Judaism”
Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also survived