The Persians
2025-09-23
The Persians
- an Indo-European speaking Iranian tribe
- they migrated into the region with other Iranian tribes, the most important being the Medes
- the persians would remain in the Medes' shadow for many centuries
- the persian king Cyrus overthrew the Medes' king and the persians became the dominant power
- conquest of Mesopotamia followed
- the Hebrews were freed
- under Cyrus, conquests continued across Anatolia and the near east, and eastward into India
- Cyrus was appreaciated for his treatment of captured people
- his son, Cambyses extended the empire into egypt
- his successor, Darius I expanded into india, southeastern europe and elsewhere
- established a single law code, a single currency, and a single calendar
- the seed of Persian destruction had already been sown because of the greek cities captured in anatolia
- Darius I launched the first of the wars against greece
- The capital city was Persepolis began by Darius I
The Persian empire was remembered for:
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tolerance of non-Persians
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provinces (satrapies) ruled by satraps
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best roads until this point.
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religious heritage
- the persians initially worshipped many gods, especially a fire god
- Zoroaster was a prophet who lived in 7th or 6th centuy BCE
- Ahuramazda - god, representation of good, will one day judge all souls
- Ahriman - a satanic figure and embodiment of evil. is locked in battle with Ahuramazda
- good will one day defeat evil
- people are free to choose good or evil
- judgment and eternal life
- Ahriman associated with the flesh, Ahuramazda with the soul
- holy book is the avesta
- priests calles the Magi
- Magi performed the ceremony and rituals and tended to the temple
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Zoroastrianism thrived until the spread of Islam
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Persia survived until being invaded by Alexander the Great
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Persia would recover as the Parthian and Sassanid empires