For almost 200 years the Persian Empire stretched from Egypt to the Indus, which created favorable conditions for the development of civilization for almost the entire period. Later, there was a rapid decline of the glory and the empire succumbed to the power of Alexander the Great.
The civilizations of Egypt and Western Asia had already matured when the nomadic peoples of the Medes and Persians moved from the steppes toward the highlands of Iranian high plateau. Medes settled on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, the Persians occupied the area on the south-east, on the eastern shore of the bay, which we call the Persian Gulf. Although these tribes generally represented a lower degree of cultural development than some of their neighbors such as the Assyrians, they have brought together a highly developed religious and ethical system of Zoroastrianism, which has survived to this day.
Originally it was the Medes who took a leading position, creating a united kingdom with a capital in Ecbatana and collecting tribute from some of the Persian tribes. However, they remained vassals of warlike Assyrians until the king Cyaxares (Hvakhshathra) allied with Chaldean people, won Nineveh (612 BC), and finally defeated the Assyrians.
Cyrus the Great
The size of the Medes was short-lived. Persians united under the rule of the Achaemenid dynasty, which released a brilliant leader in the person of Cyrus II the Great (559-529 BC). Around the year 559 BC Cyrus led to the overthrow of the king of the Medes and took control of the empire, which included the greater part of today's Iran, Armenia and the eastern part of Asia Minor (now part of Turkey). But this was only the beginning. In the year 546 BC Cyrus entered the western part of Asia Minor, conquering Lydia and Greek cities on its coast. According to legend, Lydian king Croesus was about to be burned at the stake when Cyrus spared his life. This story may be true, since it is known that he was a gracious ruler. Cyrus then extended the borders of the Persian dominion to the north - to the Caspian Sea and led a campaign in the east, the Hindu Kush range. He fully deserved the title of Great King, but it did not satisfy his ambition. Eventually he died while waging a war in Central Asia.
Expanding the empire
The son of Cyrus, Cambyses II (592-522 BC) has implemented a plan of his father for the invasion of Egypt, conquering the whole country for the first time in its long history.
Attempts to expand the Persians towards Libya and Ethiopia have not brought such success, and at the end of his reign, Cambyses II's focused on an usurper and the uprising in the empire caused by the Medes, Babylonians, and other conquered peoples. The situation was still critical at the time of Cambyses II's death. He did not father a heir, but Darius, a popular commander of the Ten Thousand Immortals (royal guard) was recognized by the army as the new Great King. The suppression of rebellions in the country and restoring peace in the empire took the new ruler two years.
In the early period of the reign of Darius I (522-486 BC) moved the borders of the empire in the east to the Indus River. Then he apparently decided it was time to consolidate and reorganize the state. Building on the achievements of the previous Great Kings, he gave the Persian empire and created a distinctive form for the institutions.
The cosmopolitan empire
Like the Assyrians, the Persians ruled the peoples who differed greatly languages, customs and religion. But while the Assyrians maintained their domination through terror, the Persians tried to pacify conquered peoples. Twenty satrapies (administrative regions) into which Darius divided his vast empire were ruled by, as far as possible, local notables. Local customs, laws and institutions were respected and all religions tolerated. A known example is the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem that had been destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
Representatives of all the peoples of the empire served in the Persian army, which became cosmopolitan. A good road system favored the development of trade and transport network of fixed points allowed postal couriers to change horses and reach the remotest corners of the country in a few weeks. The rise in prosperity favored the introduction of money (Lydian invention) in the form of standardized gold coins. Maintaining a whole so in essence the fragile empire (never before existed more) for almost 200 years has been a huge success. The largest territorial expansion reached it for Darius. In the year 512 BC He crossed the Bosphorus and stepped to Europe, unsuccessfully chasing Scythian nomads to the Danube. Again crossed there 20 years later, this time taking Thrace until the Macedonian border.
Power of the Greeks
After the suppression of the revolt of Greek cities in Asia Minor, Darius decided to hit the Greeks in their native territory. However, by 409 BC forces sent to punish Athens for helping the Greeks in Asia were defeated at the Battle of Marathon. It was a relatively small win, but when the son of Darius, Xerxes (486-465 BC) began a full-scale war, it brought disastrous results of Salamis (480 BC) and the Plataea (479 BC). Finally Persia concluded peace with the Greeks (446 BC).
The Persians were good riders, but their infantry was inferior to Greek hoplites. Greek mercenaries played an important role in the revolts and civil wars between rival usurpers who increasingly troubled the empire. Despite signs of resurgence under the rule of Artaxerxes III (385-388 BC) the empire was clearly in decline and it was evident that only feuds between the Greek secured Persia against dangerous consequences onslaught of dangerous opponents.
Darius III had the bad luck to be the Great King when the Greek threat materialized, and Alexander the Great of Macedon began his stunning career.
Did you know...
- Persian Empire at its peak was divided into 20 regions called satrapies.
- Persepolis was more the center of religious ceremonies and state than real capital. Its ruins located in inaccessible mountain terrain contain the remains of the barracks and the royal treasury. Other buildings have rooms designed for royal feasts and ceremonies.
Important dates
- about 1000 BC
Medes and Persians arrive on the territory of today's Iran - 612 BC
Medes destroyed Nineveh - ca 559-550 BC
Cyrus the Great conquers the empire of the Medes - about 546 BC
Cyrus defeats Croesus of Lydia - 539 BC
Cyrus wins Babylon - 525 BC
Cambyses II conquers Egypt - ca 522-520 BC
Darius I renewed empire - 512 BC
The expedition of Darius I beyond the Danube - 499-494 BC
Rise of the Greeks in Asia Minor - 429 BC
The Persians occupied Thrace - 490 BC
Persians defeated at Marathon - 480-446 BC
Persian-Greek war - 424-358 BC
The period of turmoil - 336-330 BC
Darius III, the last of the Achaemenid - 334-324 BC
The conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great
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