1. Those Powerful Persians 540-330 BC
Objective 2.4-Analyze the rise and spread of various empires in terms of influence, achievements, and lasting impact. (Today the Persians)

2. Persians Massive Empire
King Cyrus I created the empire by conquest.
By 400 BC the Persians had created the largest Empire ever seen.
They controlled land once ran by the Assyrians and the Babylonians

3. Darius 1 ( BC)
Darius was the Persian king who created the great empire
Darius ruled some 35 million people
Darius set up a government that would become a model for many that followed.

4. King Darius’s Authority
King’s decision on all matters of policy was final
King was commander-in-chief of the army and ceremoniously took his position in the center of the formation
There he was protected by an elite royal bodyguard
The Greeks called the bodyguard the Ten Thousand Immortals

5. Persian Political Organization
Darius broke his kingdom up into several smaller states.
He created 23 states
Each State had a type of Governor that took taxes for Darius
What does Darius’s system remind you of?

6. Got Money? Darius copied a Lydian invention called coin money.
Why would Darius want to use a Monetary system?
Gold coin issued by Darius,
named after him as a daric

7. Religious Tolerance
Darius Had Religious Tolerance, meaning a kind of freedom of religion
“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

8. Royal Roads
The Royal Road stretched 1,600 miles from the Aegean port of Ephesus to Sardis in Anatolia, through Mesopotamia along the Tigris River.
Caravans took 90 days to travel the route
Inns along the way provided lodging
The road was well policed for safety

9. A Postal Service: Really?
Darius established 111 postal stations at 25 to 30 mile intervals along the route
Each station kept a fresh supply of horses so couriers could travel the entire route in one week
Like the Pony Express
Herodotus praised the couriers saying, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
Motto of the US Postal Service

10. The Persian Legacy The Battle of Thermopile
For all the Persians accomplished they are most remembered for a battle with about 300 Greeks called the Spartans (We’ll meet them later)

11. Alexander the Great (him again?)
Ultimately the Persian Empire is going to fall to Alexander the Great in 330 B.C
Alexander is going to have an even larger empire and he will rely largely on established Persian institutions to govern it

12. Project #1: Ancient History TV Show
In groups you are to make a TV Show on an assigned civilization in ancient history.
You should
Tell the important achievements and contributions of your civilization. (use the book and your notes to help find this information)
Make your presentation interesting using Interesting Facts about the civilization
Make a poster to help present your information.
Model your TV Show after what you see on the History channel. (So be professional and write a script for your Actors)