Persian Empire (The Achaemenid Empire)

POLITICAL (Persian Empire) ● Achaemenid clan under Cyrus The Great led a rebellion and conquered the Median clan bringing Iran under his control, and spread his empire from India to Egypt.

● 23 satrapies(Provinces) – administrative and taxation districts governed by satraps (governor).

● Each satrapy had military officers and tax collectors.

Economic ● Learned the practice of using coins modeled after the Lydians, which moved the Persians from bartering to a “money economy”. ● Qanats (underground canals that allowed water to be distributed to fields without losing large quantities to evaporation due to exposure from the sun and the open air) enhanced agricultural production and population growth. ● Iron tools helped with agriculture & became the foundation of the economy. ● Religious toleration (especially under Cyrus)

RELIGIOUS ● Zoroastrianism began to emerge through the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster who taught that your choices will determine you will spend life after death. ● They were monotheistic and their main god was Ahura Mazda.

SOCIAL ● Diverse cultures; respected cultural traditions of the peoples they ruled ● Free classes included artisans, craftsmen, merchants, and low-ranking civil servants ● Large % of population was free individuals but did not have privileges of clan leaders and important bureaucrats.

INTERACTIONS ● Darius I son of Cyrus the Great extended the empire even more by conquering ​ ​ places like India to the east, Egypt to the west, and Armenia to the North. ● Alexander the Great invaded and dissolved the Persian Empire, destroyed Persepolis, but proclaimed himself the legitimate successor of the Achaemenids.

ARTS ● Persian Royal Road stretched for 1,600 miles which aided in trade and communication. ● Under Darius a courier service with 111 postal stations along the Royal Road was established. (early version of the pony express)

ENVIRONMENTAL

● Empire included over 35 million people under one state (empire) ● Persepolis served as political center for the empire as well as a monument to the Achaemenid dynasty;

Fall of Persian Empire

After the death of Darius, his son Xerxes ruled.

Xerxes was a cruel & weak King, who was also defeated by the Greeks in the Persian Wars.

The Empire grew weak and faced conspiracies, assassinations, and revolts by the people who were burdened with heavy taxes.

Fall of Persian Empire

Economic- Persians taxes became heavier and more oppressive, which led to economic depression and revolts.

Social- Society started to breakdown. The people below the upper class started to organizing riots and revolts against the rulers.

Scientific- The decrease in scientific advancements caused their weapon production and safety to diminish.