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

2. ©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.)
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3. Achaemenid Empire (558-330 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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4. Cyrus- (r. 558-530 B.C.E.) Cyrus the Achaemenid (the Shepherd)
Became king of Persian tribes in 558 B.C.E.
All of Iran under his control by 548 B.C.E.
Established a vast empire from India to borders of Egypt
Cyrus’ tomb still exists
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5. Darius- (r. 521-486 B.C.E.) Aka Darius the Great--
Brought the empire to its largest extent; population thirty-five million
Diverse empire, seventy ethnic groups
Persepolis- Darius’ beautiful new capital, built in 520 BCE
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

6. 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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Technologies
Qanat: System of underground canals
Avoided excessive loss to evaporation
Extensive road-building
Persian Royal Road
1600 miles, some of it paved- allowed the king to stay in touch and send troops where needed-
Also encouraged trade and travel, Postal stations also aided communication, Courier service
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

8. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Achaemenid Empire
Taxes, Coins, and Laws
Replaced irregular tribute payments with formal taxes—much more reliable! Allowed for efficient government
Standardization of coins and laws—encouraged trade and justice
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

9. 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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Persian Wars ( B.C.E.)
Greeks living in Ionia on the Anatolia coast of the Aegean Sea came under Persian control.
With encouragement from Greeks back in Greece, the Ionian Greeks revolted.
The Persians sent a huge army to defeat the Greeks.
In an upset victory, the Persians were defeated at Marathon (490 B.C.E.), retreated back to Persia.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

11. Alexander the Great : Decline & Fall of the Achaemenid Empire
One of the ancient world’s great conquerors
Invaded and conquered Persia in 331 BCE
Destroyed Persepolis
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

12. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Seleucid Empire
Alexander died young, and his empire was divided among three of his generals- ;best part goes to Seleucus (r B.C.E.)- Persia
The Seleucids kept the Achaemenid
system of administration, but eventually
India and northern Iran rebelled; Persians
resented foreign rule.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

13. The Achaemenid and Seleucid Empires, 558-330 B.C.E. and 323-83 B.C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

14. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Parthian Empire
Seminomadic Parthians drive Seleucus out of Iran.
The Parthians, based in northern Iran, pushed out the Seleucids and extended to Mesopotamia
Parthian government followed the example of Achaemenid administration
Especially strong cavalry, but
weakened by ongoing wars with Romans; fell to internal rebellion
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

15. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Sasanid Empire ( C.E.)
Claimed descent from Achaemenids ; Toppled the Parthians in 224 CE.
Continual conflicts with Rome, Byzantium in the west, Kush in the east
Overwhelmed by Arab conquest in 651 C.E.
Persian administration and culture absorbed into local Islamic culture
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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

17. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Persian Society
Early steppe traditions
Warriors, priests, peasants
Family/clan kinship very important
Creation of bureaucrat class with empire
Tax collectors
Record keepers
Translators
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

18. Persian Social Hierarchy
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

19. Persian Society : Free Classes
The bulk of Persian society:
Artisans, craftsmen, merchants, civil servants
In the countryside: peasants, some of whom were building underground canals (qanat)
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

20. ©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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

21. Persian Economy- Agriculture and Trade
Several areas exceptionally fertile
Long-distance trade benefits from Persian road-building
Goods from India especially valued; Long distance—by both land & sea
Networks included Africa, India, the Mediterranean, and the Near East
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

22. Religions of Salvation in Classical Persian Society: 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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

23. Zoroastrian Teachings
Ahura Mazda as a supreme deity, with six lesser deities
Cosmic conflict between Ahura Mazda (good) and Angra Mainyu (evil)
Heavenly paradise and hellish realm as reward and punishment
The material world as a blessing
Moral formula: good words, good thoughts, good deeds
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

24. Popularity of Zoroastrianism
Developed quite a following under the Achaemenids: attracted Persian aristocrats and ruling elites
Darius regarded Ahura Mazda as supreme God
Most popular in Iran; followings also in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Egypt
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

25. Popularity of Zoroastrianism
The Sasanids sought to revive Zoroastrianism and provided official support
The magi wrote down the Gathas in texts called the Avestas
Zoroastrianism flourished until the advent of Islam
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

26. The Bad 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
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

27. 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 and won converts in Persia.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

28. Influence of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism influenced Judaism, Christianity, and later, Islam
Belief in one God, an ethical life, heaven and hell
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.