Burgan M. Empires of Ancient Persia

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Great e mpires of the past

EmpirEs of

nciEnt pErsiA

Great e mpires of the past

Empire of Alexander the Great

Empire of Ancient Egypt

Empire of Ancient Greece

Empire of Ancient Rome

Empire of the Aztecs

Empire of the Incas

Empire of the Islamic World

Empire of the Mongols

Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia

Empires of Ancient Persia

Empires of Medieval West Africa

Empires of the Maya

Great e mpires of the past

ichael

urgan

orical

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EmpirEs of

AnciEnt pErsiA

Great Empires of the Past: Empires of Ancient Persia

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burgan, Michael.

Empires of ancient Persia / Michael Burgan.

p. cm.—(Great empires of the past)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60413-156-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-43812-784-2 (e-book)

1. Iran—Juvenile literature. 2. Iran—History—To 640—Juvenile literature. 3. Iran—Civilization—To 640—Juvenile literature.

I. Title. II. Series.

DS254.75.B87 2009

935—dc22

2009011154

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GEofP-AncPersia_FNL.indd 4 11/23/09 4:59:18 PM

CONTENTS

Introduction 7

PA R

T I H I STORY

C H A P T E R 1  e First Persian Empire 19

C H A P T E R 2  e Achaemenid Empire at Its Largest 35

C H A P T E R 3  e New Persian Empires 55

PA R

T I I SO C I ET Y AN D CU LT U R E

C H A P T E R 4 Politics and Society in the Persian Empires 75

C H A P T E R 5 Living and Working in the Persian Empires 93

C H A P T E R 6 Persian Art, Science, and Culture 111

ilogue 127

me Line 140

ossary 141

bliography 143

rther Resources 147

cture Credits 150

dex 151

Abo

ut the Author 159

GEofP-AncPersia_FNL.indd 5 10/13/09 4:15:25 PM

ALMOST

1,200

YEARS

FROM

550 b.c.e.

651 c.e.,

Persians dominated an area that stretched from the Black Sea (which is

north of modern Turkey and bordered by Eastern Europe) into Central

Asia. Throughout its long history, Persia had contact with—and often

battled—many of the other great empires of the past.

The Persian homeland was centered in the southwest of modern-

day Iran, along the Zagros Mountains. From there, the Persians con-

quered the various kingdoms of Mesopotamia, in the region between

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq. They then spread

their influence over Egypt and the fringes of southern Europe. This

made them the first empire builders to control part of three continents.

To the east, Persian rule extended as far as India.

It is difficult to talk about one Persian Empire, because three dis-

tinct Persian peoples rose to power at different times. But they shared

a similar language and culture and ruled many of the same lands. The

Achaemenid dynasty created what is sometimes called the Persian

Empire. Their rule lasted from about 559 b.c.e. until 330 b.c.e., when

Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great (356–323 b.c.e.). Several

centuries later, the Parthians rose to power in the region. They were

followed by the Sassanians.

For centuries, historians in Europe and North America studied the

Persians mostly through the words of ancient Greek and Roman writ-

ers. Their writings provided important information on Persian history

and culture. But the ancient Greeks and Romans saw the Persians as

their enemies, and so their accounts of the Persians were not always

accurate.

ntroduction

opposite

This golden chariot (a

horse-drawn cart that

carries soldiers) is a

symbol of both the wealth

and power of the Persian

Empire.

Empir

s of anci

nt p

rsia

Starting in the 19th cen-

tury, archaeologists (scientists

who study ancient peoples

by studying the items they

left behind) began to trans-

late ancient Persian writings.

They also discovered new

sources of information from

lands that bordered Persia.

Although the Persians did not

write complete history books,

government records helped

present the Persians’ view of

their world. So did writings,

called inscriptions, carved into great monuments and tombs of the

empire’s leaders.

From both Western and Persian sources, a picture emerges of an

empire that allowed the local people in its distant regions to control

much of their own affairs. The Persians borrowed ideas from the people

they conquered and let them keep their local language and customs.

In his book

The Histories

, Greek historian Herodotus (ca. 484–ca. 425

b.c.e.) wrote, “The Persians welcome foreign customs more than any

other people.”

The lands the Persians controlled provided a great deal of wealth.

They used it to construct massive buildings and make great art. They

introduced the Persian language and culture in large parts of Central

Asia, and that influence remains today beyond the borders of Iran. And

some Persian words and concepts also entered Western culture—con-

nections to the present that will be explored throughout this book.

PeoPle of the StePPe

The Persians traced their roots to people who came out of the steppe,

a vast, flat, and mostly treeless area that stretches across Central Asia

into parts of Eastern Europe. The steppe people were great horse-

men—horses were first ridden by humans who lived on the steppe of

modern-day Ukraine more than 4,000 years ago.

The culture that developed in that part of the steppe eventually

spread eastward across Asia. Then, by about 1000 b.c.e., some descen-

What Are Connections?

hroughout this book, and all the books in the Great

Empires of the

ast series, there are

onnections boxes.

hey point out ideas, inventions, art, food, customs, and

more from this empire that are still part of the world today.

tions and cultures in remote history can seem far away

from the present day, but these connections demonstrate

how our everyday lives have been shaped by the peoples

of the past.

CONNECTIONS

dants (relatives who trace their roots back to one person) of those

steppe dwellers called the Medes and Persians settled in southwest

Iran. They settled on a plateau (a high, flat area of land) near the Zagros

Mountains and the Persian Gulf. This region is in an area known as the

Near East—part of southwest Asia bordering the Mediterranean, Black,

and Caspian Seas, and the Persian Gulf.

i n t r o d u c t i o n

The clash between Persia

and Greece was recorded

by Greek historian

Herodotus.