The Persian Empire

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The Persian Empire
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Jewish History Bellwork

• What does the term Diaspora mean?
• Which group destroyed the Second Temple, leading
  to 2,000 years of Jewish Diaspora?

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Jewish History Bellwork

• What does the term Diaspora mean?
• Dispersion of any people from their original
  homeland, specifically of Jewish peoples
• Which group destroyed the Second Temple, leading
  to 2,000 years of Jewish Diaspora?
• The Romans

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Objective

• WWBT Introduce the major leaders and
  accomplishments of the Persian Empire

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The Persian Empire
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Interactive Notebook

• 9/28/2016
• Persian General Info
• This will be one page

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Persian Empire Background
Cyrus the Great
Darius the Great
The Persians
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Persian Empire Background

• Also known as the Achaemenid Empire
• Would occupy the arid area between Mesopotamia
  and the nomadic tribes of central Asia.
• Indo-European ethnic groups organized into clans
  who became loosely connected to Mesopotamian
  overloads.
• Medes and Persians began to appear in the region
  east of Mesopotamia about 1300 B.C.E., bringing
  with them the use of iron.

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Persian Empire Background

• Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian
  empires
• Cyrus (r. 558-530 BCE) founder of dynasty
• Cyrus the Shepherd
• Peak under Darius (r. 521-486 BCE)
• Ruled Indus to the Aegean
• Capital Persepolis

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Persian Empire Background

• Four major dynasties
• Achaemenids (558-330 BCE)
• Seleucids (323-283 BCE)
• Parthians (247 BCE-224 CE)
• Sasanids (224-651 CE)

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Cyrus the Great

• Empire stretched from Northern Mesopotamia,
  Syria, Canaan, Phoenician cities, Lydia, Greek
  city-states in Asia Minor
• A tolerant ruler
• He allowed different cultures within his empire
  to keep their own institutions.
• The Greeks called him a Law-Giver.
• The Jews called him the anointed of the
  Lord. (In 537, he allowed over 40,000 Jews to
  return to Palestine from Babylon).

580 529 B. C. E.
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Tomb of Cyrus the Great
Iranian artists rendition of Cyrus the Great
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The Cyrus Cylinder, sometimes described as the
"first charter of human rights"
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Cyrus the Great

• Even though he broke the balance when he defeated
  the Medes, Babylonians, and Lydians of western
  Asia, he was seen as a liberator of Babylon
• He allowed local rulers to continue work under
  Persian direction
• Upon his questionable death, his son, Cambyses
  II, expanded Cyrus conquest by capturing Memphis
  and taking control of Egypt
• The empire would eventually stretch from North
  Africa to the Indus River.

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Persian Empire
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Darius the Great (526 485 B. C. E.)

• Best organizer among Persian kings
• Built Persepolis.
• He extended the Persian Empire to the
  Indus River in northern India. (empire stretched
  3000 mls)
• He conquered Egypt built a canal in Egypt
  connecting the Nile and the Red Sea.

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Persepolis
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Persepolis
Gate of Xerxes at Persepolis
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Persepolis
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Persepolis
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Ancient Persepolis
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Persepolis
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The People of Persepolis
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Darius the Great (526 485 B. C. E.)

• Established a tax-collecting system.
• Divided the empire into 23 provinces called
  SATRAPIES
• Ruled by a governor called satrap
• Built the great Royal Road system
• Established a complex postal system
• Created a network of spies called the Kings
  eyes and ears.
• Ruled more than 35 million people

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Persian Royal Road
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The Persians

• Persians very tolerant rulers
• Allowed conquered people to keep own languages,
  religions, and laws
• Artisans built city of Persepolis most
  magnificent city in the empire

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The Persians

• Big network of roads
• Allowed for trade between different
  peoples/cultures in the empire
• Allowed for easy movement of soldiers
• Royal Road longest road in the empire ? had
  stations along it so travelers could get food,
  water, and fresh horses

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Persian Royal Road
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Persian Archers Soldiers
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The Persians

• 480 BCE Dariuss son Xerxes tried to conquer
  Greece to expand the empire
• Failed to defeat the Greeks

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The Fall of the Persians

• Differences between Persians and its subject
  peoples became too difficult to overcome.
• Unfortunately, the tolerance for other traditions
  exhibited by Cyrus and Darius was not continued
  by Xerxes, the successor of Darius.
• His policies led to rebellions which culminated
  in the Persian Wars with Greece. A long period
  of warfare with Greek city-states resulted in
  defeat and decline. (Marathon Thermoplyae)
• In 334 B.C.E., Macedonian conqueror Alexander the
  Great invaded Persia and defeated the Persians
  three years later. Persia was then divided into
  three regions ruled by Alexanders generals until
  their defeat in 651 C.E.