the persian empire world history – libertyville hs
TRANSCRIPT
The Persian Empire
World History – Libertyville HS
Who were the Persians?• Centered in modern Iran,
which literally means “Land of the Aryans”
• At its height, Empire covered parts of three continents – Asia, Europe, and Africa– In 5th C. BC, about 45% of
world’s population was part of Empire
– It covered over 1 million square miles, from Indus R. to Nile R.
Persian Empire, at greatest extent
The Achaemenid Dynasty
• Dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great (576-530 BC)– Achaemenid ruler was
considered a god– “Divine right of kings”
justified rule– All people were
supposed to prostrate when in presence of Emperor
Prostration (center)
The Achaemenid Dynasty
• Established a vast empire– Expanded westward to defeat
Neo-Babylonians• Ended “Babylonian Captivity”• Allowed Jews to return to Israel
– Cyrus died fighting the Egyptians in 530 BC
Conquests of Cyrus the Great
Darius, “King of Kings” (521-486 BC)
• Perfected the administration of large empire– Divided empire into satraps
(provinces) ruled by Persian governor
– Governor oversaw local client kings
– Duties• Collect taxes and tribute• Administered justice• Ran the bureaucracy that
administered satrap• Acted as “General in Chief” of
local military forces
Satraps of Persia, circa 500 BC
Darius, “King of Kings”• Maintained large standing
army and bureaucracy• Darius also maintained a
network of spies who kept tabs on governors and client kings
• Also had large postal service
• Road system and “Royal Road”, from Susa, throughout empire, to Turkish coast
Royal Road (in red) – couriers could coverIts 1677 mile distance in 7 days!
Client Kings• During expansion, Persians
would request soil and water from neighbor who was targeted for conquest– Signified submission to Persian
King of Kings– If submitted, local ruler would
become Client King• Swear allegiance to KoK• Send in tribute and troops when
required• Otherwise left alone to manage
own people – did not interfere with local customs, religions, etc.
Client king (L) receiving visitors
Client Kings• If refused, Persians invaded
territory– Conquer people, kill ruler and
his family– Sought out surviving
nobleman to become client king
• Persian system widely supported by subjects & client kings, because they preserved local rules and ruled subjects with a very light touch