The Persian Empire

The Persian Empire

​Mr. Mains

Poll

Now that we have talked about Ancient Athens vs Sparta, which city state do you think is better and you would want to live in?

• Ancient Athens

• Ancient Sparta

Open Ended

Your opinion: What is the most interesting thing that you have learned about Greece so far??

Today's Objectives

• Understand the location of the Persian Empire and what areas of land it controlled

• Understand how the Persian culture, government, religion, weapons and determination for conquest influenced the region

• Understand the various advancements and inventions that were created by the Persians

• Understand the rise and fall of the Persian Empire

Multiple Choice

Persia is a country that you can visit today

• True

• False

No, Persia is NOT a country today

• The region formerly known as Persia is present day Iran

• Persia, or the Persians, actually describe an ethnic group

• They make up more than half of the population of Iran today

Multiple Choice

Persia was actually able to take over all of the following civilizations EXCEPT FOR ONE. Which of the following civilizations was it NOT able to take over?

• Mesopotamia

• Egypt

• Indus River Valley (India)

• Greece

Greece was never controlled by Persia

• The Persian Empire went to war with the Greeks but they were unsuccessful

• Even though they were unsuccessful at gaining control over Greece, they were the first to ever establish routes between Africa, Asia & Europe

Multiple Choice

True/False? The oldest monotheistic religion originated in Persia

• True

• False

Zoroastrianism: world's oldest monotheistic religion

• "first ecological religion"-everything created is pure & should be treated with love/respect

• helped inspire some of the most popular religions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Did you know that Star Wars and Game of Thrones were inspired by the themes within Zoroastrianism?

Absolutely! How so??

Open Ended

What would be the overall theme of Star Wars? That is, what symbolism is consistent throughout the entire series?

Main beliefs of Zoroastrianism

• Originated in 1200BCE-1500BCE

• Overall, the religion is set on the struggle between God (and the forces of goodness) and a Satan (presides over darkness & evil)

• Even though, humans has to choose what side to belong, they ultimately believe that God (and good) will prevail

• Today, has between 100,000-200,000 worshipers

• Freddie Mercury (from Queen) believed in Zoroastrianism. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara which is Parsi (Persian)

Multiple Select

Speaking of this iconic band, choose all of the songs that are by the the band Queen. You can get points for this, but an even better reward is gaining Mr. Mains' respect

• Bohemian Rhapsody

• Still Standing

• Under Pressure

• Hammer to Fall

• Jump

Multiple Choice

Quick check: Zoroastrianism influenced what main religions?

• Islam

• Judiasm

• Christianity

• All of the answers

Poll

Poll question: In your opinion, what is the most important part of a war?

• Effective strategy

• Elite weapons

• Just having A LOT of soldiers

• Respected & loyal leader

Who made up the Persian military?

• Made up of several parts

  • Persian archers

  • Persian calvary

  • Persian chariots

  • Persian fleet

  • They even hired mercenaries (ironically, they were Greeks)

• What reasons would cause the Greek to want to work as mercenaries?

Persian archers

• Were the largest and bravest group with the Persian military

• They were the front line and were respected the most

• The bow was the national arm of Persia-was actually taught by the Scythians and improved on the bow/arrow equipment

• Also armed with a sword and spear

• Overall, seen as one of the most elite archers of all time

Persian calvary & chariots

• Soldiers on horseback with bow/arrow, spear & sword

• Persians rulers saw this as more effective that just a normal army

• Early Persian history-foot soldiers with axes, swords, shields & bows

• The diversity in weapons allowed them to be effective in a variety of settings

• Chariots were equipped with swords on rotating wheel axles that would slice their enemies

• Like the bow/arrow, this was adopted from the Scythians

Persian fleet

• Adopted from Greek triremes (3 levels with 300 rowers) and biremes (2 levels with 200 rowers)

• Steered with a long oar at the back

• Had an iron ram

• Larger and much slower than the quicker, more maneuverable Greek ships

• Could cause a lot of physical damage due to its size

• Was a great test for the Athenian navy

Multiple Choice

During one of the sea battles against the Greeks, most Persian sailors died due to

• Ran into the rocky Greek cliffs

• They didn't know how to swim

• Starvation

• Disease

• Failed revolts & rebellions

Cyrus the Great

• Conquered Babylon (Mesopotamia) and created the Persian Empire (559BC)

• Similar to the myth about Cronus/Zeus. His grandfather had a dream that his grandchild would overthrow him. He ordered him to be killed. His advisor had him raised by a shepherd. Cyrus grew up, revolted & overthrew his grandfather. This earned him respect & followers

Cyrus' Accomplishments

• "Father" to the people (no other Persian king was viewed this way)

• Freed the Jews from Babylon-return to Israel & rebuild Jerusalem

• Known for religious tolerance

• Restored religious temples/practices & allowing displaced people to return to their homes

• Established 20-30 satraps (provinces to make it easier to control)

• Developed an efficient postal and road system

• Famous for the development of the Immortals (elite fighting force of 10,000 soldiers)

Multiple Choice

As he was relatively positive among his people as a ruler, what do you think led to his death?

• drank an elixir of life that caused him to be poisoned and die

• killed by a wild animal during a hunting trip

• captured and then killed during a war

• all of the answers

Darius: Life after Cyrus

• His son (Cambyses 2) succeeded him; killed on a trip from Egypt

• A man was pretending to be his brother tried to take over

• Darius (general) claimed that he was related; met with opposition

• Darius destroyed any rebellions & unified the empire (again)

• Made the satraps (provinces) all be loyal to him, not to each region

• Used Zoroastrianism to validate himself (god appointed him to rule)

• Named himself "King of Kings" to avoid the appearance that he didn't favor a group/region over another

Darius' Accomplishments

• Completed the very safe Royal Road-1,500 mile trade/communication road

• Created satrap spy network to crush any rebellions

• First version of Suez Canal (Nile River to Red Sea)

• He died after about 30 days of illness

The Fall of the Persian Empire:

• Darius was involved in the Greco-Persian Wars (Marathon)

• His son, Xerxes, continued his work to overthrow the Greeks

• Greco-Persian Wars was between 492BCE-449BCE

• The Greeks were able to fend off the Persians

• The Persians declined due to the expensive cost of war with the Greeks. This led to heavy taxation, which led to rebellions/revolts/instability/civil war

• The Persians were eventually taken over by Alexander the Great around 334BCE

Open Ended

Give me a way/reason that caused the decline of the Persian Empire

Persian Contributions

• Algebra, Backgammon, Banks (loans & deposits)

• Batteries (metallic rod, rod as a cell, a pot), Bricks, Cutlery, Gloves

• Human Rights (freed slaves, racial equality, right to choose religion)

• Pants and Long Coats, Perfumes, Polo (horseback sport)

• Postal system, Pottery, Refrigeration, Roads

• Sulfuric Acid (combustion, fertilizers, detergents, petroleum), Textiles, Wheel

Open Ended

What was a contribution from the Persians that you feel is important, valuable and impactful to our world today?

Review:

• The Persian Empire is no longer in existence but the inhabitants live in present-day Iran

• The Persian Empire controlled portions of Asia, Europe and Africa

• The Persian Empire founded the oldest monotheistic religion today and it has impacted Judaism, Christianity and Islam

• Cyrus and Darius unified the Persian Empire and were able to make it a relatively safe and peaceful place

• The Persians developed several contributions that we still use today