1. Ethnic Groups Persian People

2. Early History Around 1200 BC, Persians and Medes invaded West Asia They were nomads who travelled around Siberia grazing their horses and cattle They settled in modern-day Iran and we don’t hear much about them until 600 BC

3. Cyrus Cyrus became king in 659 BC Under Cyrus, Persia would become the largest and most powerful empire ever known in human history up to that point By 486 BC, they controlled all of Mesopotamia and all of the world from Macedon northeast of Greece to Egypt

4. Early Religious Beliefs Cyrus practiced a new religion called Zoroastrianism, which stated that the universe was under control of two opposing but equally strong gods

5. Ahura-Mazda, the creating god, was full of light & good. Ahriman was the god of dark and evil Cyrus saw as his mission the tearing down of religions for evil gods and strengthening those who were allied with Ahura-Mazda

6. Modern Persians Persians are also called Iranians They speak Farsi In the Middle East, about half of the Persians are farmers who depend heavily on primitive methods of irrigation They also make crafts such as hand-woven items, like rugs, and pottery Many also work in oil production

7. Persian Society The basic social & economic unit is the family, however, some families join together to make larger units Their society is strictly male-dominated Women are submissive in public, but Persian women often hold considerable decision-making power in private

8. Religion Today Islam became the national religion of Iran in the 16 th century Today, most Persians are Shia Muslims of the Ithna Ashari branch, and are radical in their adherence to Islamic laws and principles