Persian Empire

From the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D., the Persian Empire was a collection of
dynasties centred in modern-day Iran that lasted several centuries. The first Persian Empire,
formed in 550 B.C. by Cyrus the Great, grew to be one of the world's largest empires, stretching
from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe to the Indus Valley in India. For more than 200 years, this
Iron Age dynasty, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, was a global centre of culture, religion,
science, art, and technology until falling to Alexander the Great's invading army.

Cyrus the Great

The first Achaemenid Emperor was Cyrus (580-529 BC). He united the two original Iranian
tribes, the Medes and the Persians, to form Persia. He is mainly remembered for his unparalleled
tolerance and magnanimity towards people he defeated, despite his reputation as a great
conqueror who once governed one of the biggest Empires ever seen.

Following his triumph against the Medes, he established a new

kingdom's administration, which included both Median and Persian
aristocrats as civilian authorities. He moved his soldiers to the
eastern frontiers after completing the conquest of Asia Minor. The
Median Kingdom already included Hyrcania and Parthia. He
conquered Drangiana, Arachosia, Margiana, and Bactria in the
east. After crossing the Oxus, he reached the Jaxartes, where he built fortified towns with the
object of defending the farthest frontier of his kingdom against nomadic tribes of Central Asia.

Persian Religion

Many people associate Persia with Islam, yet it was only after the Arab conquests of the seventh
century that Islam became the dominant religion in the Persian Empire. A distinct religion,
Zoroastrianism, shaped the first Persian Empire.

Zoroastrianism is one of the world's earliest monotheistic religions, named after the Persian
prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra). In regions of Iran and India, it is still practised as
a minority religion.

Zoroaster, who lived between 1500 and 500 B.C., taught his followers to worship a single god
rather than the multiple gods worshipped by earlier Indo-Iranian communities. The Achaemenian
kings were Zoroastrians by faith.

Cyrus the Great was a tolerant monarch who permitted his subjects to speak their own languages
and practise their own religions, according to most traditions. While he ruled according to the
Zoroastrian law of asha (truth and justice), he did not force Zoroastrianism on the subjugated
peoples of Persia.

The Jewish people of Babylon were freed from captivity and allowed to return to Jerusalem,
according to the Hebrew scriptures.

Following Cyrus the Great's lead, subsequent rulers in the Achaemenid Empire took a hands-off
approach to social and religious issues, allowing Persia's diverse people to continue living their
own lives. This time period is known as the Pax Persica, or Persian Peace.
 Persian Culture

Metalwork, rock carvings, weaving, and architecture were all created by the ancient Persians of
the Achaemenid Empire. As the Persian Empire extended to include other early civilization
cultural centres, a new style emerged, influenced by these sources.

Large, carved rock reliefs cut into cliffs, such as those found at Naqsh-e Rustam, an old cemetery
packed with the tombs of Achaemenid kings, were common in early Persian art. Equestrian
scenes and battle wins are depicted in the spectacular rock murals.

Metalwork was also a specialty of ancient Persians. Smugglers uncovered gold and silver items
among ruins along the Oxus River in what is now Tajikistan in the 1870s.

The artifacts included a small golden chariot, coins and bracelets decorated in a griffon motif.
(The griffon is a mythical creature with the wings and head of an eagle and the body of a lion,
and a symbol of the Persian capital of Persepolis.)

British diplomats and members of the military serving in Pakistan brought roughly 180 of these
gold and silver pieces—known as the Oxus Treasure—to London where they are now housed at
the British Museum.

Fall of the Persian Empire

The Battle of Issus, fought in 333 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius III, ended the
Persian Empire.

After Xerxes I's disastrous invasion of Greece in 480 BC, the Persian Empire began to crumble.
The costly defence of Persia's territory reduced the empire's treasury, forcing Persia's subjects to
pay higher taxes.
In 330 B.C., the Achaemenid dynasty was
overthrown by Alexander the Great of Macedon's
invading army. Following Cyrus the Great,
subsequent kings attempted to restore the Persian
Empire to its Achaemenian borders, but the
empire never regained its massive extent. Persia's
Achaemenid Empire governed the Mediterranean
for more than two centuries.

The Persian Empire spanned from India's borders to Egypt's and Greece's northern borders,
making it one of history's first great superpowers. However, Alexander the Great, a skilled
military and political strategist, would put an end to Persia's reign as a dominant kingdom.

Alexander the Great

Alexander III was born in the small Kingdom of Macedonia in 356 B.C. Alexander the Great was
a great imperialist who was tutored by Aristotle and trained for battle by his father, Philip II. His
undermanned victory over Persian King Darius III at the Battle of
Gaugamela is regarded as one of human history's pivotal moments,
unseating the Persians as the world's greatest force and spreading
Hellenistic culture across a huge new empire.

Alexander owed his father a great obligation for entrusting him with a
world-class army led by skilled and loyal generals. But it was
Alexander's leadership and tactical strategy that ensured his triumph
over a formidable foe deep in enemy territory.

II Philip:

After conquering nearly all of classical Greece, Philip II of Macedon erected his magnificent
palace in the fourth century B.C. For far too long, Philip has been overlooked in ancient history,
remembered chiefly as Alexander the Great's father.

Philip II Left Alexander the Great a Fierce Army

Philip II of Macedon created the Macedonian Phalanx, a rectangular infantry formation that was
later employed by his son Alexander the Great to conquer other armies.

The Macedonians were not always a formidable opponent. To the south, the city-states of Athens,
Sparta, and Thebes, whose rulers considered the Macedonians as barbarians, were the traditional
centres of Greek dominance. Alexander's father, Philip, was the man who single-handedly
converted the Macedonian army into one of the world's most fearsome combat machines.
Philip restructured Macedonian culture around a professional army, assembling elite soldiers,
cavalry, javelin throwers, and archers. Aristocratic young males would begin military training at
the age of seven and graduate as officers at the age of eighteen. The Royal Companion Cavalry,
the king's personal squadron, and the Royal Hypaspists, an elite 500-man infantry regiment that
surrounded the king in battle, held the highest positions.

Weaponry was also improved under Philip's leadership. The shorter "dory," or Greek wooden
spear, was replaced by the considerably longer sarissa, an 18- to 22-foot hunting spear with an
iron spike capable of piercing heavy armour and impaling charging cavalry horses.

Philip marched south in 338 B.C., backed by his gleaming new army, and destroyed an all-star
alliance of Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea. The fight was Alexander's coming-out
party, as he heroically led the Macedonian cavalry assault that broke through the Athenian ranks
and achieved victory for the fledgling kingdom.

After conquering the Greek mainland, Philip directed his well-oiled army eastward to the Persian
Empire, a far more valuable prize. Philip was slain shortly after crossing the Hellespont into
Persian territory, making young Alexander the new king and commander-in-chief of the
Macedonian armies.

According to Graham Wrightson, a history professor at South Dakota State University and
author of Combined Arms Warfare in Ancient Greece, "as soon as Alexander arrived to the
throne, he openly announced that he would carry on his father's intentions." But before Alexander
could go into Persia, he needed to take care of some domestic matters.

The Greek city-states of Athens and Thebes were unhappy to be ruled by "barbarian" kings,
especially because it violated their democratic principles. Thebes rose up to resist Alexander's
authority soon after he was crowned king, which was a huge blunder. "Not only did Alexander
raze Thebes to the ground and sell the entire city into slavery, except for one man," Wrightson
argues, "but Alexander burned Thebes to the ground and sold the entire city into slavery, except
for one man."

Greek Civilization in the Persian Empire.

In the Persian Empire, Greek Civilization flourished. In contrast to the other sections, the final
section is named "The Persian Empire," rather than "The Development of Persian Civilization."
The reason for this is because the Persian legacy was essentially the establishment of an empire,
not culture. Despite being vanquished militarily, Alexander's reign did not put an end to the
Persian Empire's cultures and civilizations, and Greek culture triumphed over Persian culture.
Even the Persian Empire was short-lived. The empire fell apart shortly after Alexander's death in
323 B.C. The Greek, not the Persian, cultural legacy has had the greatest impact on modern
society.

TTimeLine of Persian Empire