1. <PERSIAN CAT PERSIA> 4.3 Persian Empire

2. Main Idea By governing with tolerance and wisdom, the Persians est’d a well-ordered empire that lasted for 200 years. Leaders today try to follow this example. Terms and Names: Cyrus and Zoroaster Pg. 99

3. Persian Homeland Ancient Persia included what today is Iran. Area extends from Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.

4. Cyrus the Great 550 BC- Cyrus the Great conquered neighboring kingdoms- military genius Kind ruler, and tolerant of other peoples’ beliefs and customs Would kneel to pray at the temples of other gods. Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

5. Persian Legacy Zoroaster (600 BC), prophet who taught that the earth is a battleground for a struggle b/w good and evil. Monotheism- one god- Ahura Mazda. Similarly held beliefs in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam- angels, Satan, one god Today’s followers are called Parsis.