the persian empire who were the persians? where did they originate and expand? what is the...
Post on 05-Jan-2016
217 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
The Persian EmpireWHO WERE THE PERSIANS? WHERE DID THEY ORIGINATE AND EXPAND? WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS CIVILIZATION?
Map of Persian Empire:
Map of Persian Empire:
Nile River
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Persian EmpireGreec
e
Geography of the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire was built upon Central Asian and Mesopotamian Civilizations The heart of this Empire was
located in what is modern-day Iran
Origins of the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire truly begins in 552 BCE—when Cyrus the Great and his armies conquer the Medes After conquering the Medes Cyrus
goes on to conquer all of Mesopotamia
Cyrus’ son Cambyses II went on to conquer much of Egypt
Origins of the Persian Empire
After Cambyses II death there was struggle for power and Darius assumed leadership
Darius established the first capital city at Susa
Darius established the Royal Road—which was a great highway that went from the capital to Sardis
The Royal Road
The Royal Road was constructed primarily for military reasons
The road allowed Persian couriers (messengers) to deliver messages throughout this large empire at a remarkably fast rate
Map of Persian Empire:
Nile River
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Persian Empire
Royal Road
Greece
Power of the Persian Empire
Under the leadership of Cyrus and Darius the Persians went on to establish the largest empire in ancient history prior to Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great went on to briefly conquer the Persians, which started the slow but gradual fall of the Empire The Persians would eventually be
completely destroyed by the Muslim conquest and Mongolians around 700 CE (AD)
Persian Contributions: Tolerance towards those they conquered
The Persians are well remembered for the tolerance they practiced towards conquered people
Unlike many other ancient empires, the Persians allowed the people they conquered to maintain their laws, customs, religions, and political structure
Persian Contributions: Tolerance towards the people they conquered
What the Persians required in return were that the conquered people paid taxes and contributed to Persian military efforts
Tolerance ensured that the conquered people would be better servants to the empire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=514IEcgz1Q8
Persian Contributions: Imperial Bureaucracy
The Persians developed the world’s first imperial bureaucracyA large group of non-elected
individuals responsible for running and administering governmental policies
Persian Religion: Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism (today known as Parsiism) is a dualistic religion Belief in two gods—A god that is good (Ahura
Mazda) and a god that is evil (Aura Mainyu)
The religion developed around 500 BC by the Persian prophet Zoroaster
The religion beliefs that the world is divided between good and evil and it is up to humanity to determine who they support and who will reign supreme
Beliefs of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism believes in a judgement day, angels and demons, a messiah, baptism, and bodily resurrectionMany scholars believe this
religion had a strong influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
top related