1. The Persians
Men of the Bible
12/13/2017

2. Persia in context

3. Timeline of the Persian period
Ca. 550 BCE: Formation of the Persian Empire under Achaemenes
539 BCE: Defeat of the Babylonians; Persians overtake Babylonian territory under Cyrus II ( BCE); Previously-conquered peoples allowed to return home
BCE: Reigns of various kings of the family of Achaemenes (All variations of the names “Cambyses, Darius, Xeres, and Artaxerxes”)
330 BCE: Defeat by Alexander of Macedon (“The Great”)

4. Persian factoids
Play a significant role in the biblical books of Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
Their origins are obscure, but likely a coalescence of various tribes of Medes and Persians from modern-day Iran in the sixth century
Their language was not Semitic (Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, etc.) but Indo- European (Romance languages, Hindi, Germanic languages, etc.); yet Aramaic was the lingua franca of the empire
Administered their broad land holdings through “satrapies”
Under Cyrus II (“The Great”), allowed conquered peoples to return to their homelands as a diplomatic and economic policy

5. The Cyrus Cylinder