ACHAEMENID EMPIRE

(539-330 B.C.)

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE
Cyrus the Great built the
Persian Empire at around
539 B.C. in
Southwestern Iran
The end came with
Alexander the Great's
overthrow of Darius III
(the last Achaemenid ruler)

People of Persia
Medes and Persians
for a time, they lived under Assyrian and Babylonian rule
spoke Indo-European languages
had considerable military power
When the Assyrian and Babylonian empire weakened,
the Medes and Persians launched their military campaign

Shift of Power
The collapse of the Neo-Babylon Empire,
disappearance of Nabonidus (its last ruler), and
the entry of Cyrus into Babylon
There occurred a dramatic shift of power away
from The Land of the Two Rivers
northeastward into the Zagros Mountains, which
separate Mesopotamia from the Iranian plateau

Mobilization of Resources

Tribal Confederacy
Each of these tribes inhabited a certain part of
Persia, and their territories were well defined
oligarchic system
social classes:
a. ruling class
b. clergy
c. artisans
d. herdsmen

Opportunities were offered by the Assyrian and Babylonian

empire's decline
Expanding economic activity meant increased prosperity
and also additional resources and revenues for the state

Military Pacification
Cyrus promptly enlarged his military manpower by
winning over the recently defeated Medes
The subjugation of Mesopotamia added a vast
population of skilled and disciplined cultivators and
artisans whose labor provided a regular revenue base

Rulers of the Achaemenid Empire

Cyrus the Great
Darius the Great
Xerxes I
Alexander the Great

Cyrus the Great (r.ca. 550-530 BC)

laid the foundations of the
Achaemenid empire
he was a tolerant ruler
he allowed different cultures within his
empire to keep their own institutions

the Jews called him, "The Anointed of

the Lord"
He set free the Jewish captives that had
been moved to Babylon since the time of
Nebuchadnezzar, and gave back the
stolen ornaments of the Temple of
Jerusalem and money to rebuild that
Temple

Cyrus the Great

Established a vast empire
stretching from India to
Mediterranean
Cyrus died in the battle with
the Sakas in 530 BC, drawn
into the steppes beyond the
Syr Darya by a cunning ruse
At the time of his death, the
empire already embraced
much of West Asia

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

Cambyses (r. 529-522 B.C.)

son of Cyrus the Great
conquered Egypt
the Achaemenid frontier advanced down
the Nile as far as the First Cataract

Darius the Great (r. 521-486 B.C.)

Best organizer among Persian
kings
Extended the Persian empire to the
Indus river Northern India
Built the largest empire in world
history: conquered Indus Valley
Ruled more than 70 ethnic groups

Darius the Great

Built new capital at Persepolis, 520 B.C.E.

Darius the Great

Maybe not a great army general, but certainly the
greatest of politicians
Darius recognised the first need for the rule of his
empire, and that were roads. Wide and long roads
connected all of the Persian empire together, and along
with the first postal system in the world (Barid), helped
facilitate the communication.

Darius the Great

He created a major road
system for Iran, coined
money(Darik), and finished
Cyrus incomplete job of
invasion.
Established a taxcollecting system
Built a canal in Egypt
connecting the nile and the
red sea
Qanat- system of underground
canals

Darius passed away in

Persepolis,December of 485
BC

Tomb of Darius I

Xerxes I (r. 486-465 B.C.)

Unfortunately, Xerxes
did not continue Cyrus and
Darius' tolerance for other traditions
His policies led to rebellions which culminated in the
Persian Wars with Greece
successor: Artaxerxes III (his death led to the rapid fall
of the regime)

The Wars with Greece

1. The Persian Wars (500-479 B.C.E.)
Ionian Greeks rebelled
Greek free city states sent aid to rebels
Persian rulers put down rebellion

2. Darius invaded Greece to punish

Greeks
Won battle of Thermopylae
Did not live long enough to finish job

3. Xerxes (reigned 486-465 B.C.E.)

Retreated from the policy of cultural
toleration
Caused ill will and rebellions among
subject peoples
Lost both land and sea battles to Greeks
Battles of Marathon
Battle of Salamis

Alexander the Great I (331-330 B.C.)

In 334 BC, Alexander invaded Persia
with an experienced army of 48, 000
Macedonians
Alexander confiscated the wealth in
the treasury at Persepolis,
proclaimed himself heir to the
Achaemenid rulers and burned the city
After Alexanders death:
His chief generals divided the empire
into three large realms which they
divided among themselves:
Seleucids
Parthians
Sasanids

Persian Religion
Zoroastrinism
emerged from teachings of
Zarathustra/Zoroaster
earliest Persian religion resembled
that of the Aryans

Zoroastrian teachings
Ahura Mazda as a supreme deity,
with six lesser deities
Heavenly paradise and hellish realm
as reward and punishment
Moral formula: good words, good
thoughts, good deeds

Persian Religion

Popularity of Zoroastrianism

Attracted Persian aristocrats and ruling elites

Darius regarded Ahura Mazda as supreme God
The faith was most popular in Iran
Sizable followings in Mesopotamia, Anatolia,
Egypt, and other regions

Religions of Salvation
Zoroastrian community suffered during Alexander's invasion
The Zoroastrians' difficulties
Extreme rivalries with Christianity (Orthodox, Monophysites)
Some Zoroastrians fled to India
Remaining Zoroastrians converted to Islam
Few faithful Zoroastrians still exist in modern day Iran

Influence of Zoroastrians
Influence on Jewish religion: belief in future reward and
punishment
Influence on Christianity: concepts of heaven and hell
Later influenced Islam; one of Muhammads protected faiths