Persian Empire

Who was the first Persian king?

• Cyrus the Great
• Darius I
• Xeres

The Persians conquered all of the following areas except. . .

• Israel
• Babylonia
• Egypt
• Greece

Cyrus as a leader refused to_______________ which was very rare in the ancient world.

• make his conquered enemies slaves
• kill any enemies in war
• pay taxes to the capital
• leave the capital city

Cyrus the Great held his growing empire together by

• establishing harsh military rule.
• limiting travel between provinces.
• treating conquered people fairly.
• building strong fortresses in each conquered land.

Which factors led to the decline of the Persian Empire?

• The army was weakened after losses to Greece, and rulers disagreed about who should have power.
• The people began to rebel against the Persian kings, causing a long series of civil wars.
• A series of natural disasters (droughts and earthquakes) devastated the Persian homeland.
• The king’s sons plotted to take over the throne, causing a civil war.

Religious teacher who preached a new monotheistic religion

• Cyrus
• Zoroaster
• Xerxes
• Leonidas

Reorganized the government and divided the Persian Empire into satrapies

• Cyrus
• Darius I
• Xerxes
• Leonidas

King from Sparta who led soldiers into battle at Thermopylae

• Cyrus
• Darius I
• Xerxes
• Leonidas

Expanded the Persian Empire with his strong army

• Cyrus
• Darius I
• Xerxes
• Leonidas

He reorganized and strengthened the Persian Empire.

• Xerxes I
• Cyrus II (the Great)
• Darius I