5. Location of the Ancient Persian Civilization
The Persian civilization developed in what is current Iran.
It is a plateau in Asia, neighbor to Mesopotamia, which was a witness to important historical events.
This plateau, which occupies two million square kilometers, can be delimited:
•To the West: the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates (from which they are separated by the Zagros
Mountains);
•To the East: the Indus River Valley;
•To the North: the Caspian Sea and Turkestan;
•To the South: the Persian Gulf.
6. • In ancient times, it was the site chosen by two peoples to settle and develop their
civilization: the Medes and the Persians.
Evolution of Persian Civilization -
• Linguistic family of the Indo-Europeans or Aryans
• ( The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of
Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this
family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, and Spanish )
7. • Towards the end of the second millennium B.C., the Medes and the Persians
arrived in the fertile valleys of the Zagros Mountains.
• In the area parallel to Assyria the Medes settled, and over the Persian Gulf, the
Persians installed themselves.
•
• As they went on expanding, they settled in different areas and formed distinct nations.
8.
9. The Medes
A people of Aryan shepherds, on
settling they began to practice
agriculture. Their organization was
initially tribal, that is to say, they
were divided into tribes which would
unite, in the case of war, against a
common enemy.
The Persians
In the beginning, they were divided
into 10 or 12 tribes, whose chiefs
had the title of King. There was no
agreement between them to unify in
one tribe, because of which they
suffered the domination of the
Medes.
10. Cyrus who achieved the unification of the distinct tribes into which the Persians were
divided, to later overthrow the Medes and put and end to their supremacy.
11. • Population were divided
into social classes which
like societies in every
civilization.
• Hierarchal social
structure.
Ancient Persian Social Hierarchy
12. King & the royal family
Priest
Nobles
Traders
Craftsman
Peasants
Slaves
13. As in the other countries of the ancient Orient, the problem of water was crucial in the Persian
Empire, with the exception of a few rare, privileged regions. Because of this, the peasants put
together perfected systems of irrigation.
Canals were excavated for the conduction of water, as well as wells and subterranean
galleries, similar to the “qanats” of present-day Iran, to avoid, in the arid regions, excessive
evaporation.
In this way, the ground was revalued and grains like barley and wheat were cultivated above
anything else, but also vineyards, as on the great occasions, especially in the era of their
decay, the Persians consumed wine and other alcoholic drinks. On the other hand, the
raised great flocks of horses and bovines, as well as donkeys and camels.
Agriculture and Livestock
14. History of Persian Language
The history of the Persian language is divided into three eras-
Old Persian (ca. 525 BC- 300 BC),
Middle Persian (c. 300 BC- 800 AD), and
Modern Persian (800 AD to the present day).
The Persian language has been written with a number of different scripts during its history including
the Old Persian Cuneiform (e.g. Bistoon inscription of the Achaemenid Darius I)
15. Old Persian appears primarily in the inscriptions, clay tablets and seals of
the Achaemenid era (c. 600 BCE to 300 BCE).
As a written language, Old Persian is attested in royal Achaemenid inscriptions. It is
an Iranian language and as such a member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-
European language family.
The oldest date of use of Old Persian as a spoken language is not precisely known. According
to certain historical assumptions about the early history and origin of ancient Persians
in Southwestern Iran (where Achaemenids hailed from), Old Persian was originally spoken by
a tribe called Parsuwash, who arrived in the Iranian Plateau early in the 1st millennium BCE
and finally migrated down into the area of present-day Fārs province.
16. The Bistun Inscription is a multi-lingual inscription located on Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah city of Iran. This
UNESCO World Heritage Site is authored by Darius the Great as king of the Persian Empire at 6th century BC.
Old Persian: Bistun Inscription, Authored by Darius the Great (6 century BC
The oldest known text written in Old Persian is from the Behistun Inscriptions.[9] Old Persian is
one of the oldest Indo-European languages which are attested in original texts.
17. The inscription includes three versions of the same text,
written in three different cuneiform script languages: Old
Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a later form
of Akkadian).
The inscription is approximately 15 meters
high by 25 meters wide and 100 meters up
a limestone cliff from an ancient road
connecting the capitals
of Babylonia and Media (Babylon and Ecbat
ana, respectively).
The Old Persian text contains 414 lines in
five columns; the Elamite text includes 593
lines in eight columns, and the Babylonian
text is in 112 lines.
18. Old Persian texts were written from left to right in the Old
Persian cuneiform script and had 36 phonetic characters
and 8 logograms.
The usage of logograms is not obligatory.
The script was surprisingly not a result of evolution of the script used in the
nearby civilisation of Mesopotamia.Despite the fact that Old Persian was
written in cuneiform script, the script was not a direct continuation of
Mesopotamian tradition
The origin of the Old Persian cuneiform script and the identification of the date and process of introduction
are a matter of discussion among Iranian scholars with no general agreement having been reached.
Scripts
19. Education in Ancient Persia
Background
The religion of Persia was
Zoroastrianism. The priestly class of
Persia were called Magi. They
responsible for sacred duties as well
as the education of princes.
Education ?
20. What was Taught ?
The emphasis in Persian education was
gymnastics, moral, and military
training.
The physical training was arduous,
Boys were pushed well nigh to their
physical limits.
The moral training was also
vigorously instilled.
Boys were taught to have a
strong understanding of
right and wrong as well as a
sense of justice.
21. How Was the Curriculum Organized ?
• From the age of 0-7 education was in the home with the mother.
• From 7-15 boys were educated by the state and were even considered
state property.
• After the age of 15, students spent time learning about justice in the
marketplace.
• Girls did not receive much of an education. Rather, they focused
primarily on life in the home. This included raising small children and
other domestic duties.
22. Persia education was one strongly dominated by the state.
The purpose was primarily to mold boys into just, moral soldiers who could serve to
defend and expand the empire. This system is not without merit as it held an empire
together for several centuries.
The saddest part may be the loss of individual freedom and expression at the
expense of government will.
Conclusion
23. Religion
Ancient Persian Religion was a polytheistic faith.
•Mithra – god of the rising sun, covenants, and contracts
•Hvar Ksata – god of the full sun
•Ardvi Sura Anahita – goddess of fertility, health, water, wisdom and
sometimes war
•Rashnu – an angel; the righteous judge of the dead
•Verethragna – the warrior god who fights against evil
24. •Vayu – god of the wind who chases away evil spirits
•Tiri and Tishtrya – gods of agriculture and rainfall
•Atar – god of the divine element of fire; personification of fire
•Haoma – god of the harvest, health, strength, vitality; personification of the plant of the
same name whose juices brought enlightenment.
25. The polytheistic faith of the Persians was centered on the
clash of positive, bright forces, which maintained order,
and negative, dark energies that encouraged chaos and
strife.
The Persian pantheon was presided over
by Ahura Mazda, the all-good, all-powerful
creator and sustainer of life, who gave birth to
the other gods.
26. Ahura Mazda created the world in seven steps beginning with sky (though in some versions it
was water). The purpose, it seems, was the manifestation of universal harmony, but this was
thwarted by the evil spirit of Angra Mainyu, Ahura Mazda's cosmic opponent.
How the early Persians worshipped their gods is unknown.
