ANCIENT PERSIAN EMPIRE

CATEGORY
1. POLITICAL SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

Achaemenid Empire of Persia(558330 BC), popularly

referred to as the Persian empire, was a monarchy

Built upon the Assyrian Model but more efficient and

humane.
The Empire was divided into twenty provinces, or

satrapies, each ruled by a governor called a satrap.

Satraps as regional leaders, prevents most (non-Greek)

subjects from wishing to revolt.

A secretary and a military official representing the "Great
King, King of Kings" were installed in every province to

check the satraps.

Darius I implements regular tax levy in place of irregular
tribute payments.

Satrapies required to pay a set amount in silver annually in

standardized coins. (Rise and Fall of Ancient Persia, n.d.)
(Social Structure of the Persian Empire, n.d.)
2. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Persians had a tribal confederacy.

Social formation does not seem to be much different

from their Indo-European ancestors.

Their social structure was a basic patriarchal system
based on families forming tribes. (Ancient Persian Social

Hierarchy, n.d.)
Each tribe lived in a different part of Persia.
The tribes formed the confederacy.
Oligarchic system is in place i (Social, Intellectual and
Artistic aspects of Ancient Persia, n.d.)n which the heads
of tribes would make all large decisions based on the

behaviours of the society.

The "ruling class holds the chief positions by the right
of birth.

Woman were treated extremely well in Persian societies.

Women could become rulers, politicians, equal in family

matters and also have right to own property rather than being
3. SOCIAL CLASS

traded as property.
1. Social Development in Classical Persia
o Nomadic character of early Persian society

Similar to the Aryans in India

Importance of family and clan

relationships

o Imperial bureaucrats

Needed educated bureaucrats

Shared power with warriors and clan

leaders

o Free classes

In the city: artisans, craftsmen, merchants,

civil servants

In the countryside: peasants - building

underground canals (qanat)

Slaves in both cities and countryside

2. Persian social hierarchy

King and the Royal Family- highest power holder;

King was at the top and then came the royal family.
Priests- perform the sacred rituals of a religion;
question the decisions of the king; mediator between

4. ECONOMY/TRADE
SYSTEM

humans and deities.

Aristocracy- advisors of the king
Military- special benefits and honor were given by

the government to their families.

Traders- middle level people who trade

commodities.
Craftsmen- skilled manual workers specialized in

making functional and decorative art pieces.

Peasants- either laborers or owner of their own farm.

Slaves- lowest level of people with zero rights.

Economy
Early Persians:

Agricultural and Pastoral economic system

Darius revolutionized the economy by using standardized
gold and silver coins throughout the civilization for

aliens to abide.
Most commonly grown crops were barley and wheat, but
peas, lentils (a form of bean) mustard, garlic, onions,
cucumbers, dates, apples, pomegranates, pears and

apricots.
Most common beverages were beer and wine.
Surplus was regular, land was leased in exchange for
produce

Trade

Long distance trade facilitated by road construction;

1,600 miles, paved with stone.

King Darius managed to create a canal from the Nile
River to the Red sea to connect trade routes in the

Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf to Egypt.

Babylon, maintained banks and investment companies
Various regions contributed a variety of products. India
contributed gold and ivory; Iran and central Asia
turquoise and other semi-precious stones; Mesopotamia
and Iran furnished textiles, mirrors and jewelry, and
Phoenicia contributed glass, cedar, timber, and dyed
woolen fabrics. (Trade in the Persian Empire, n.d.)

5. TECHNOLOGIES

Persia was a cradle of science in ancient times. Persian

scientists contributed to the current understanding of nature,
medicine, mathematics, and philosophy.
Here are some key technological developments in Persian Empire.
Qanats
- originated in ancient Persia (Iran)
- the underground channels carried water to remote dry
-

areas, linking many wells along their length

recent discoveries now see them as an Achaemenid

technology
bring water from the foothills of the northern mountains to

the southern plains region for irrigation and domestic use

Battery
- was made in Persia known as Baghdad battery
- consists of a 5-1/2-inch high clay vessel inside of which
was a copper cylinder held in place by asphalt, and inside
of that was an oxidized iron rod
might have been used for electroplating objects with gold
6. KNOWLEDGE/
Knowledge
INVENTIONS/WRITINGS
- dug a mine underneath the wall in order to enter the city
- ignited bitumen and sulphur crystals to produce dense
-

poisonous gases
were the first to use chemical warfare against their

enemies
sustainable system of taxation
a communication network based on good roads and

efficient message-carrying
a single language, Aramaic, used in government

documents throughout the empire

firm control in the armed forces
first caesarian operation (actually Persian-Birth) was done

in Persia
Inventions
1. Windmill
- believed to be originating from Persia
- world's oldest windmills are located in Afghanistan
- in building windmill, it requires massive research such as
the location of the windmill, the wind speed, and wind
-

direction
could be built in a flat area as long as there is wind

turbulence generated by tress

2. Carpets
- Persian emperors of the 6th century BC are among the first
-

to make a display of lavish floor coverings

become one of the characteristic art forms of people living
on the high plateau of west Asia, from Turkey through

Iran, where winters can be extremely cold

3. Embroidery
- was first invented by the Scythian people (a branch of
Persians)

 Writings
1. Marvels of Creation and Oddities of Existence
- is a popular work of cosmography that has been translated
-

into various Islamic languages

holds manuscripts in the original Arabic, as well as

Turkish and Persian translations

contains several unique illustrations, including these

depictions of mythical creatures

2. Book of Indian Castes and Kinsfolk
- illustrated in vibrant colors and detailing the distinguishing
characteristics and customs of Indias various castes
portrays professions ranging from surgery to papermaking with
7. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

miniature paintings produced primarily by Mir Khalan Khan

The Persians, like most ancient peoples, started out with a
polytheistic religion to account for the forces of nature.
However, around 600 B.C.E., a new religion emerged, called
Zoroastrianism after its founder, Zoroaster.
Zoroastrianism
- became the official religion of the Persian Empire, but
it virtually disappeared in Persia after the Muslim
Mithraism (the Sun God)
- which was also adopted by the Romans
Manicheanism
- which was later on adopted by the Christians in North
Africa
Mazdakism
- probably the first communist movement
Others
- Sufism, Carmathism, Ismaili (Agha Khani), Babism,
Bahaism, Akhbarism, Kasravism etc
Persians only worshipped two gods:
Ahura Mazda the good god, who symbolizes light
Ahriman the evil god, symbolizes darkness and death
Having two gods was a dualistic religion, which meant it saw life
as a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil. In
the end people would all be held accountable for their deeds in
a judgment day when they would go to heaven as a reward for
good deeds or suffer eternal punishment for their sins
Festivals are characteristic aspects of Zoroastrianism, a faith that
enjoins on man the pleasant duty of being happy
The principal festivals in the Parsi year are the six seasonal

festivals, Gahanbars, and the days in memory of the dead at

year's end
Each day of the month and each of the 12 months of the year is
dedicated to a deity
8. ART AND
ARCHITECTURE

Arts
1. Ruins of Persepolis Gateway
- created by Darius I
- influenced by Monumental Sculpture
2. Gold Chariot from the Oxus Treasure
- a collection of some 180 pieces of gold and silver
metalwork from the Achaemenid civilization
comes from the region of Takht-Kuwad,Tadjikistan
3. Horse Head in gilded silver
- example of Sassanid metalwork from Kerman
4. Luristan Pottery Vesse
- ancient pottery from Western Persia
Architecture
- Achaemenids built an efficient infrastructure of roads and
-

ports
- had a canal built to link the Nile to the Red Sea
1. Apadana in Persepolis
- as able to seat 15 (fifteen thousand) people in it, with
-

space left for a grand ceremony

the architectural and worth of this single building would

have dwarfed the city of Rome

2. Caravansaray (Inns of caravan)
- first travellers Inns were built in Persia
3. Citadel of Bam
largest mud-brick structure in Kerman Province of Iran
9. RIVER SYSTEM

There are no major river systems in Iran. The only navigable

river is the Karun, which flows from the Zagros Mountains
to the Persian Gulf. The waters flow from the mountains into
the central plateau, draining into saltwater lakes. Within a
few weeks or months, most of the river and lakes dry up in
the blistering summer heat.
Persian Gulf, arm of the Makran Sea (Sea of Oman),
between the Arabian Peninsula and Iranian plateau,
extending from the Arvand-Rud delta to the Strait of
Hormoz, which links it with the Gulf of Mazun (Oman).
The Persian Gulf, which was called the Persian Sea by the
Ancient Iranians, is mostly shallow and has many islands,

of which Mishmhign (Bahrain) is the largest.

10. CITY-STATE

Persepolis ("the Persian city), also known as the Throne of

Jamshid, was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid
Empire. Persepolis is situated northeast of the city of
Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran. It exemplifies the Achaemenid
style of architecture.

References:
http://www.persianempires.com/index.html
http://www.ancient.eu/Persia/
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/thousand-years-of-the-persian-book/science-and-technology.html
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/ancient-art/persian.htm
https://books.google.com.ph/books?
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