+ Empire Big Ideas & Chapter 7 The Empires of Persia ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1

+ The number and size of key states and empires grew dramatically. Benefits: political unity, less war as there are less competing states. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

+ Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial admin. Based on success of earlier political forms Rulers created ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS Example: Centralized governments Example: Elaborate legal systems Example: Bureaucracies ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3

+ Military power over larger areas Techniques: Diplomacy Developing supply lines Building fortifications, defensive walls, and roads Drawing new groups of military officers and soldiers from the local populations or conquered peoples. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4

+ A successful Empire Promoted trade Promoted economic integration Building roads and maintaining them Issued currencies ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5

+ Persian Empires Contemporary Iran Four major dynasties Achaemenids ( B.C.E.) Seleucids ( B.C.E.) Parthians (247 B.C.E.-224 C.E.) Sasanids ( C.E.) ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6

+ Achaemenid Empire ( B.C.E.) A-Key-Ma-nid Migration of Medes and Persians from central Asia, before 1000 B.C.E. Indo-Europeans Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires Cyrus (r B.C.E.) founder of dynasty “Cyrus the Shepherd” Peak under Darius (r B.C.E.) Ruled Indus to the Aegean Capital Persepolis ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7

+ Achaemenid Administration: The Satrapies Twenty-three administrative divisions Satraps Persian, but staff principally local System of spies, surprise audits Minimized possibilities of local rebellion Standardized currency for taxation purposes Massive road building, courier services ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8

+ Technologies Qanat: System of underground canals Avoided excessive loss to evaporation Extensive road-building Persian Royal Road 1600 miles, some of it paved Courier service ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9

+ Decline of the Achaemenid Empire Policy of toleration under Cyrus, Darius Rebuilding of temple in Jerusalem Xerxes ( B.C.E.) harshly represses rebellions in Mesopotamia and Egypt Increasing public discontent ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10

+ Persian Wars ( B.C.E.) Rebellious Greeks in Ionia Peninsular Greeks join in Persians defeated at Marathon (490 B.C.E.), retreated Alexander the Great conquers the Achaemenid empire ( B.C.E.) ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11

+ Seleucid Empire Say-lucid Alexander the Great dies suddenly Generals divide empire, best part goes to Seleucus (r B.C.E.) Attacked by rebellion in India, invasion of Parthians ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12

+ The Achaemenid and Seleucid Empires, B.C.E. and B.C.E. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13

+ Parthian Empire Seminomadic Parthians drive Seleucus out of Iran Federated governmental structure Especially strong cavalry Weakened by ongoing wars with Romans Fell to internal rebellion ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14

+ Sassanid Empire ( C.E.) Claimed descent from Achaemenids Continual conflicts with Rome, Byzantium in the west, Kush in the east Overwhelmed by Arab conquest in 651 Persian administration and culture absorbed into local Islamic culture ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15

+ The Parthian and Sassanid Empires, 247 B.C.E.-651 C.E. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16

+ Persian Society Early steppe traditions Warriors, priests, peasants Family/clan kinship very important Creation of bureaucrat class with empire Tax collectors Record keepers Translators ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17

+ Slave Class Prisoners of war, conquered populations Debtors Children, spouses also sold into slavery Principally domestic servitude Some agricultural labor, public works ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18

+ Persian Economy Several areas exceptionally fertile Long-distance trade benefits from Persian road-building Goods from India especially valued ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19

+ Zoroastrianism Early Aryan influences on Persian religious traditions Zarathustra (late seventh to early sixth century B.C.E.) Prophet of Ahura Mazda, against Angra Mainyu Priests of Zarathustra known as magi Oral teachings until Sasanid period composed Gathas ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 20

+ Fortunes of Zoroastrianism Under Alexander: massacre of magi, burning Zoroastrian temples Weak Parthian support Major revival under Sasanids, persecution of non-Zoroastrians Discrimination under Islam ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 21

+ Other Religious Groups in the Persian Empire Major Mesopotamian communities of Jews Composition of the Talmud, ca. 500 C.E. “Constitution of Judaism” Buddhism, Christianity and Manichaeism also survived ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 22