The Persian people spoke Indo-European and were related to the Medes. They lived southeast in relation to the Medes, who occupied the western Iranian area, south of the Caspian Sea. “Persians were organized in clans, led by petty kings assisted by a group of warriors who formed a class of nobles. Their populations also included both free and unfree people who worked the land, craftspeople, and slaves.” (Spielvogal 47). Two of the most well-known leaders of the Persian Empire were Cyrus the Great and Darius. The two brought slightly different approaches to the table of governing an empire. In 559 B.C., Cyrus became the uniting leader of the Persians, and went offensive against the Medes. “In 550 B.C. he established Persian control over Media, making it the first Persian satrapy, or province. Three years later, Cyrus defeated the prosperous Lydian kingdom in western Asia Minor, and Lydia became another Persian satrapy. Cyrus’ forces then went on to conquer the Greek city-states that had been established on the Ionian coast of western Asia Minor.” (Spielvogal 47). He then went on to conquer the eastern part of the Iranian plateau, Sogdia, and western India. Cyrus then entered Mesopotamia and captured Babylon. Due to his many conquests he gained nicknames such as “King of All, Great King, Mighty King …” (Spievogal 47). …show more content…
The kings were not considered Gods as the Egyptian rulers were, but he was the elect one or regent of the Persian god Ahuramazda. “Persian kings were largely secluded and not easily available. They resided in a series of splendid palaces. Darius in particular was a palace builder on a grand scale.” (Spielvogal 50). Darius’ policies widened the gap between the king and his subjects. The Great Kings tended to hoard their wealth, and later they overtaxed their subjects, becoming a crucial factor in the weakening of the entire Persian
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
Persia, under King Darius’ rule expanded its level of influence into Western Europe with hopes of conquering Athens, Greece between 522-486
Within 21 years of Xerxes reign to the Persian empire, Xerxes impact and legacy to is questionable from the successes and failures of: the military and administration contributions. From the use of sources such as the Harem inscription “When my father Darius went away from the throne, but the grace of Ahuramazda, I became king on my father’s throne. When I become king, I did much that was excellent. What had been built by my father, I protected, and I added other buildings” is essential and useful in assessing Xerxes’ legacy.
The Persian Empire and the Roman Empire are among the greatest empires the world has ever seen. The Persian Empire dynasties that were centered in Persia. The dynasties were formed as a result of conquest by ancient rulers such as the conquest of Babylonia, Lydia and Medina and later other dynasties followed to form the great Persian Empire. The vast empire spanned large geographical area which featured Turkey to its northern side and Egypt to its west and also ran through Mesopotamia. The Roman Empire was also a large empire that featured governance that was led by emperors. The Empire had large territories in places like Europe, Asia, and Africa. This paper is going to compare the Roman and Persian empires in relation to highlighting their successes and the assimilation of their conquered subjects into a centralized
In the sixth century B.C, the land that we now call Iran was the center of the largest empire in the world. The kings of Ancient Persia( such as Cyrus the Great) were the leaders of a great civilization that made amazing advances in laws, goverment and communication. Founded in 550 B.C by King Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire spanned from Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through Mesopotamia to the Indus River in the east. Unlike most empires at that time, the Persian kings were benovelent rulers, and allowed a diverse variety of diffrent people with diffrent ethnic backgrounds. The Persian empire was split into three diffrent empires with three diffrent time periods but the first empire was called the Achaemenid Empire. It began with King Cyrus the Great and ended with King Darius III.
Cyrus, the first persian emperor, ruled in a unique fashion, employing tolerance instead of fear, however, he relentlessly expanded his empire until his death. For example, When Cyrus and his massive army conquered Babylon he freed the jews and allowed the to return to the promise land. In addition he assisted in the rebuilding of their temple. Although some argue he did this to create a buffer state between hostile egypt and his empire, i find it more likely he did this to bring more peoples under his administration. The method which he concours societies is interesting; he presents himself not as a conqueror but as a liberator freeing the people of the region from an oppressive despot. Because of theses methods it was much easier to bring people under his rule. Additionally, once he brought states under imperial control he used strategic methods to govern the newly ‘liberated’ territories.
The Persian Empire was ruled by Darius the Great from 522 to 485 BCE. He spent years improving administrative organization then worked on expanding the empire. This empire lasted longer than all the others because people could keep their own laws as long as they pay their taxes. The Persian army also allowed more protection from invasions. They used cuneiform writing borrowed from Summerians. More unifying forces they use was Universal System of Weights and Measure, Highway System, Postal service, and Zoroastrianism which was based on individual
Moving along, Persian Empire was founded around 548 BC. It was the first largest empire stretching from Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, to Indus River, India. The Persian Empire is most famous for its tolerance over other religions and races and the first people to write the Charter of Human Rights. They also invented coins, roads, postal system, and many more innovations.
It spanned from Egypt to Anatolia (modern day Turkey) covering all of Mesopotamia. The Achaemenid Persian Empire began when the king of Persia, Cyrus II, defeated King Astyages of Media, who controlled much of Iran and eastern Anatolia. Cyrus won this battle, but due to the upset in the region, and close allies, there would be many more battles before peace was restored. Cyrus systematically conquered the Lydians of western Anatolia and the Babylonians who controlled Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean. Then his son, Cambyses, gained control over Egypt.
From watching the video “Engineering an Empire: The Persians” I learned about the Persian Empire. Persia is today the country of known as Iran. Led by Cyrus II the Great (576 – 530 BC) Persia became one of the largest and most successful empires of all time. The reign of Cyrus the Great is said to have lasted from twenty eight to thirty one years. In that time he stretched his empire over much land, including; parts of the Balkans and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. Because he was a just and benevolent leader who refused to enslave his conquered subjects he was given many titles including; The Great King, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer among many others. In 539 BC Cyrus conquered Babylon, but instead of presenting himself as a conquer he presented himself as a liberator, freeing those people from their cruel leader.
During the reign that lasted for twelve years, Alexander conquered city after city and kingdom after kingdom, and was responsible for many events that altered the history of western civilization and the world. The inversion of his troops into Persia destroyed the Persian Kingdom, were not only motivated by personal ambitions but also revenge in Persian depredations in Greece for past
Cambyses I, one of the earliest Achaemenid kings, ruled Persia around 600 B.C. Upon his death, his son Cyrus II took over as king in 559 B.C., and later became known as Cyrus the Great. As the ruler of Persia at the age of 41, Cyrus wanted to gain more power to strengthen the Persian Empire. He started by negotiating an alliance with the Babylonians against the Medes, who at this time were being ruled by Cyrus’ grandfather Astyages (Cyrus, the Great). Around 550 BC Astyages was worried that his grandson might be trying to form an alliance with his enemy Nabonidus, King of Babylon. Astyages called for Cyrus to come to him in the capital of Ecbatana to discuss the matter, but Cyrus would not (Pettman). With the support of the Babylonians, Cyrus led a revolt and defeated the Medes (Cyrus II, the Great). The Nabodinus Chro...
Iran was included in the territory of what was then the ancient Persian Empire. For centuries Iran (land of the Aryans) was also referred to as Persia, which was the official name until 1935. Fourteen years had passed before the Iranian government allowed the use of both names. Few groups of people today have significant history like the Iranians, descending from the ancient Persians, who possess one of the world’s richest and oldest cultures. Historically, a variety of other cultures and groups had once occupied the ancient Iranian plateau as early as 4,000 B.C.E, with little importance. Beginning by the third millennium, Persia was ruled by some of the greatest kings of all time, from Cyrus the Great to Darius the III, who turned the Persian Empire into one of the world’s greatest civilizations.
...nisms and used religious tolerance to obtain more people who would be “on their side”. The Persians were powerful because of the impact that they left on the world for other nations to grasp and understand in the future. They were the basis for many inventions that we use today, or have expanded upon. The differences between the Mongol and Persian Empire mostly dealt with religion and their motivation behind whether or not they were tolerant of other religions or not. The
The majority wanted the empire overthrown, and it turned out to lead to a more tolerant dynasty that the majority prefered. The Persian Empire had Cambyses, a corrupt ruler who misused his power to marry his sister, kill her, and then marry another one! He also killed one of his advisers and had him made into a chair, and later making his son sit in it when he inherited his dad’s job. Cambyses was so bad, Persia had a vote to redo their government, and the majority voted to keep monarchy. Mesopotamia was a mess, because their rulers claimed to be gods, a technique not only used by the Mesopotamians used, but the Egyptians to enforce their power with religion.