Persian Empires

Achaemenid, 539-330bce
Founder: Cyrus "the Shepherd" (r. 558-530bce)
Origins: Medes and Persians (SW Iran), pastoral nomads
Darius (r. 521-486bce) conquerer and administrator.
Xerxes (r. 486-451) got into war with Greeks.
Downfall: Greeks, Macedonians

Achaemenid Dynasty

Achaemenid, 539-330bce
satraps with overlapping supervision
standardization: laws, coins (Croesus), taxes
Persian Royal Road and postal couriers; qanat (underground irrigation canals)
Herodotus: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
Zoroastrianism: Zarathustra (7-6c bce).
Strong State support, esp. Darius
Ahura Mazda v. Angra Mainyu, 12,000 year struggle
Moderation: Good words, good thoughts, good deeds."

Globalization, Part 1 (of many)
India: gold, ivory, aromatic woods
Iran/Central Asia: lapis lazuli, turquoise, etc.
Mesopotamia/Iran: textiles, mirrors, jewelry: Finished goods
Anatolia: gold, silver, iron, copper, tin
Phoenicia: glass, cedar, timber, dyed wools
Arabia: spices, aromatic woods
Egypt: grain, linens, papyrus;
transhipped from Nubia: gold, ebony, ivory
Greece: oil, wine, ceramics

Alexander’s Empire and the Hellenistic World, c. 323 B.C.E.

Successor States
Alexandrian/Seleucid (330-83 bce)
Parthian (247 bce-224ce)
Sasanid (224-651ce)
Varying support for Zoroastrianism (Hostile, Tolerated, Revived)
Varying centralization (weak, revived satraps, full Achaeminid)
Border Wars with Mediterranean states (esp. Rome) and India
Strong trade orientation

Sources
Maps from Stearns, et al., World Civilizations: The Global Experience (6e, 2011)

Persian Empires

by Jonathan Dresner

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Persian Empires Presentation Transcript