A large empire may be particularly vulnerable to plagues, droughts, diseases, and other natural

disasters. Although all nations can isolate themselves, the plague can spread quickly in a large
empire with extensive trade and communication networks.
The administration of ancient Persia was founded on a bureaucracy that mixed authority
centralization and governance decentralization. It is sometimes claimed that the Achaemenid
empire (550-330 BC), founded by Cyrus the Great, invented this form of government (550-330
BC). The government is hierarchical, and the empire is divided into provinces by the governor of
Persia (Satrap), who oversees civil matters (satrap). During the confusion, the general oversees
military affairs. Because the military leader could not contact the army and was deterred by the
absence of private finances to attract rebels, this arrangement prevented any soldier from
launching a rebellion.
This system of government is still in operation today. Between 550 BC and 651 AD, when it was
the most efficient government model, slight changes were made, altering the form of
governance that is still employed today.
The Persian Empire, on the other hand, was more enlightened. The king did not portray himself
as a completely dominant figure. The inhabitants of the empire were portrayed as powerful and
influential members of society. The empire was not as ruthlessly exploited for the profit of the
center. Instead, each area of the empire had its own governor and was treated as an equal
member of the empire. Each province was expected to pay tribute, although not in the same
way that the Assyrian empire did.
Assyrians and Persians were thus both empires, but they operated in hugely diverse ways.
The Persian Empire was less violent and well-governed than the warlike Assyrian Empire.