In an area of western Asia called Phoenicia, city-states emerged as trading centers, and Phoenicians built a wealthy trading society. Western end of Fertile Crescent Farming difficult Trade and sea for livelihood Expert sailors Founded colonies on routes Trade brought great wealth Invented glassblowing Exports: ivory, silver, slaves Trading Society Greatest achievement Invented by traders to record activities Adopted by many, including the Greeks Ancestor of the English language alphabet Alphabet The Phoenicians

The Assyrian empire eventually fell and the Chaldeans (Neo Babylonians) under king Nebuchadnezzar made Babylon the most powerful state in the region. Nebuchadnezzar is most famous for the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Nebuchadnezzar is also responsible for the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and beginning the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews and the first Diaspora. Babylon is defeated and replaced by the Persian Empire in 539 B.C.

Satraps Principal duty of the satrap was to collect taxes and deliver them to the central treasury Before Darius, Cyrus had accepted irregular, periodic “gifts” as tribute from subject lands and cities Though often lavish, these gifts did not provide a consistent and reliable source of income – Darius changed all that

Standardized Taxes Darius replaced the irregular payments with formal tax levies Each satrapy was required to pay a set quantity of silver– and in some cases a levy of horses and slaves also– to the imperial court In order to expedite payments, he issued standard coins Gold coin issued by Darius, known after him as a daric

Legal Tolerance Darius did not abolish the existing laws of individual lands and peoples He had no uniform law code for the entire empire He did direct legal experts to codify the laws of the subject people and modify them as necessary to harmonize them with the legal principles observed by the empire as a whole

Religious Tolerance “Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.” – Ezra 6: 6-7 Darius also funded the project and provided harsh penalties for anyone who interfered

Royal Road The Royal Road stretched 1,600 miles from the Aegean port of Ephesus to Sardis in Anatolia, through Mesopotamia along the Tigris River, to Susa in Iran, with an extension to Pasargadae and Persepolis Caravans took 90 days to travel the route Inns along the way provided lodging The road was well policed for safety

Checks and Balances Since the satraps were often far away from Persepolis, there was always the possibility they might ally with local groups and become independent of the central authority To prevent this, Darius: – Placed a contingent of military officers and tax collectors in each satrapy to serve as a check on the satrap’s power and influence – Appointed agents to serve as “the eyes and ears of the king” by traveling throughout the empire conducting surprise audits and gathering intelligence