Alireza Soleymanzadeh the Achaemenid Economic System and the Armenian-Georgian Situation
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ivane javaxiSvilis saxelobis Tbilisis saxelmwifo universitetis saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XIII Tbilisi. 2018 Alireza Soleymanzadeh Assistant Professor, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran The Achaemenid Economic System and the Armenian-Georgian Situation Introduction From time immemorial, the economy of the Armenia and Georgia has been based on agriculture, and commerce. The South Caucasus (except western Georgia) and other parts of the region are territories that correspond to the spread of the Kura-Araxes culture. The economy of the Kura-Araxes culture 1 was based on agriculture and cattle-breeding.0F Grain growing, understanding the make of flour and livestock-raising especially cattle, sheep, goats, and domestication of horses about 3300 BC happened in this culture. It is at the beginning of the 3rd millennium В.С. that the diffusion of the Kura–Araxes culture over a fairly wide area in the Transcaucasia is to be dated. Growth of agriculture, cattle-breeding and the general advance in economic conditions, contributing as they did to the growth of population, necessitated the bringing of 2 new land under cultivation.1F Scholars who have examined the economic issues of the Achaemenid Empire, have presented different ideas in this regard: some of them believe that the economic policies of the empire put deadly blows on the structures of wealthy satrapies such as Babylonia and brought them into recession. In their view, the main reason for this downturn was factors such as despotism, sovereignty, and the unreasonable involvement of the government in the economic system including the tax system and imposing heavy taxes or dues, 1 A. Jaimoukha. The Chechens: A Handbook (Caucasus World: Peoples of the Caucasus), Routledge Curzon Taylor and Francis Group. 2005, p. 26. 2 S. Tolstov. VII Congrès international des sciences anthropologiques et ethnologiques. Наука. 1964, p. 226. 70 Alireza Soleymanzadeh. The Achaemenid Economic System and the Armenian-Georgian Situation also, the political turmoil in the territory of some satrapies at certain Achaemenid times. For example, the Achaemenid Empire introduced significant changes in the agrarian relations of the lands under its rule. Accurately measured lands were redistributed, and the best portions were taken by the king, the temples, business houses, the military elite, and the civil servants of the 3 royal and temple administration.2F Other scholars of the ancient history of Iran believe that the Achaemenid Empire has the same economic structure as its political structure, and that flexibility has been its prominent feature. In other words, the Iranians did not interfere in the economic and social life of their satrapies. At the same time, the Achaemenid Empire provided security-military support of the satrapies. The commuting and crossing on the highways was under the strict supervision of the king’s agents, because the kingdom was responsible for establishing security and order on and around the highways. The high volume of traffic on the roads represented a high level of security. This provided new and useful opportunities for the development of economic relations and the exchange of goods in satrapies. This trend accelerated the steady economic growth of territories such as Babylonia, Armenia, and other satrapies. The attachment of these satrapies to the Achaemenid Empire caused them to enjoy a security guarantee. This peace and calm increased the production. As a result of the establishment of security under the rule of the Achaemenid kingdom, the passage of caravans on land and the navigation of ships in the sea expanded. The present research seeks to answer a general question: which factors influenced Armenian and Georgian economic situation during the Achaemenid period? In response to this question, the hypothesis is as follows: the Georgian economic ties with Achaemenid Empire and the special geographical location of the Armenian satrapy made it possible and led to contacts with Babylonians, Lydians and etc. Their high-yielding years because of surplus production is another important factor. This provided the rapid economic growth of subjugated peoples in Achaemenid Empire. But Armenia was unable to play an important role in regional commerce due to its social and demographic status. About literature review, it should be noted that many scholars have spoken about economic issues related to the Achaemenid Empire or the ancient world. For example, we can mention the following works: the works of Muhammad A. Dandamayev such as “Economy iii. In the Achaemenid 3 M. A. Dandamayev. Economy iii. In the Achaemenid period. Vol. VIII. Fasc. 1. 1997, pp. 101- 104. 71 saqarTvelos istoriis institutis Sromebi. XIII 4 5 period”,3F “Commerce ii. In the Achaemenid period”,4F “The Economy of Late 6 Achaemenid and Seleucid Babylonia” written by Pirngruber,5F M. I. Finley’s 7 work titled “The Ancient Economy”6F and “The Ancient Economy: Evidence 8 and Models“ written by Joseph Gilbert Manning and Ian Morris7F . In all the aforementioned works, issues such as trade, slavery, taxation, agriculture, and commerce in the Achaemenid period are discussed. Despite numerous works written, it can be said that an independent research that analyzes the overall economic situation of Armenian satrapy during the Achaemenid period has not been done so far. The significant work in this regard is the research of Iakov Manandian entitled: “The trade and cities of Armenia in relation to Ancient 9 world trade”.8F However, in this book, the Armenian satrapy trade in the Achaemenid period has been reviewed very briefly and from another point of view, and some critics have been made on this book. So, the purpose of this research is to present a new historical perspective about the economy of Armenian satrapy and some parts of Georgian territory. Armenian Trade during the Achaemenid Period The royal sector, the religious temples sector and the private sector these were three essential economic spheres that co-existed in the Achaemenid 10 th th period.9F In the 6 -4 centuries B.C. the tendency for the development of 11 private activities and initiative was encouraged by the growth of production.10F There were various reasons for trade to flourish: relative political calm that set in throughout the Near East, economic prosperity, expanding the usage of money, construction of new and good roads, and exemplary maintenance of old 12 trade roads.11F It is true that the growth of trade in the Persian Empire was quite slow in comparison with the Helen period, but it did not mean a complete recession. 4 Dandamayev. 1997, pp. 101-104. 5 M. A. Dandamayev. “Commerce ii. In the Achaemenid period“. Encyclopædia Iranica, Vol. VI, Fasc. 1. 1992, pp. 59-61. 6 Pirngruber. The Economy of Late Achaemenid and Seleucid Babylonia. Cambridge. 2017 7 M. Finley. The Ancient Economy. London. 1973. 8 J. G. Manning, I. Morris. The Ancient Economy: Evidence and Models. Stanford. 2007. 9 H. A. Manandian. The trade and cities of Armenia in relation to Ancient world trade. trans. Nina Garsoian. Lisbon. 1965. 10 Dandamayev. 1997, p. 101. 11 J. Weinberg. The Citizen-Temple Community. trans. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher. Sheffield. 1992, p. 26. 12 M. A. Dandamaev, V. G. Lukonin. The Culture and Social Institutions of Ancient Iran, Cambridge. 2004, pp. 209-210. 72 Alireza Soleymanzadeh. The Achaemenid Economic System and the Armenian-Georgian Situation The Achaemenid Empire flourished due to the effective use of local elites and pre-existing institutions in each satrapy. Such was the case in Armenia, where the Achaemenid rulers used the former structures inherited from the kings of Urartu to serve Achaemenid imperial purpose.13 Various sources suggest that the Achaemenid economic policy was based on encouraging more production, providing the necessary arrangements for the distribution and exchange of various goods and products among the satrapies and the economic freedom of these nations. The Achaemenid Empire did a lot of work among the satrapies to thrive in agriculture. Public works, especially the creation of irrigation canals, and so on, were used to flourish agriculture, and all this led to a rise in production in some countries and it brought about commercial prosperity in parts of Georgia and satrapies like Armenia. During the Achaemenid rule, favorable and good conditions for the 14 expansion of international trade were provided.13F In general, the Persians used coins for commercial exchange with the Greeks along the borders of the state, 15 especially in Asia Minor.14F The local aspect of commerce in the Achaemenid era was the exchange of goods between rural and nomadic people. Meanwhile, the business of ornamental objects as well as textiles and some agricultural products such as cereals and so on developed between various advanced states and neighboring countries. Babylon is one of the progressive regions of Iran during the Achaemenid period. Herodotus’ and Xenophon's books contain information on the trade relations between Armenia and Babylon, as well as the economic life of these two satrapies. Herodotus, after fully describing Babylon and giving information about its infinite wealth, writes: "But the greatest marvel of all the things in the land after the city itself, to my mind is this which I am about to tell: Their boats, those I mean which go down the river to Babylon, are round and all of leather: for they make ribs for them of willow which they cut in the land of the Armenians who dwell above the Assyrians, and round these they stretch hides which serve as a covering outside by way of hull, not making broad the stern nor gathering in the prow to a point, but making the boats round like a shield: and after that they stow the whole boat with straw and suffer it to be carried down the stream full of cargo; and for the most part these boats bring down casks of palm-wood filled with 13 S.