Persian History

From the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D., the Persian Empire was a
collection of dynasties based in modern-day Iran that lasted several centuries. The first
Persian Empire, created by Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C., grew to be one of the world's most
powerful 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 powerhouse of culture, religion, science, art, and technology until
falling to Alexander the Great's invading army.

Cyrus the Great

On the Iranian plateau, the Persian Empire began as a group of semi-nomadic tribes raising
sheep, goats, and cattle.

Cyrus the Great, the leader of one of these tribes, began to conquer neighbouring kingdoms
such as Media, Lydia, and Babylon, uniting them under one authority. In 550 B.C., he
established the first Persian Empire, commonly known as the Achaemenid Empire.
Cyrus the Great's first Persian Empire quickly became the world's first superpower.
Mesopotamia, Egypt's Nile Valley, and India's Indus Valley were all unified under one
authority in the ancient world.
The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay cylinder inscribed in 539 BC with the account of how Cyrus the
Great defeated King Nabonidus and ended the Neo-Babylonian empire, immortalises Cyrus
the Great.
Darius the Great, The Persian Empire stretched from the Caucasus and West Asia to
what was then Macedonia, the Black Sea, Central Asia, and even into Africa,
including parts of Libya and Egypt, when the fourth ruler of the Achaemenid Empire
ruled. He brought the empire together by instituting standard coinage and weights
and measures, as well as establishing Aramaic as the official language and
constructing highways. The Behistun Inscription, a multilingual relief carved into
Mount Behistun in Western Iran, extols his qualities and was a key to cuneiform
script decipherment. Its influence has been compared to that of the Rosetta Stone,
an Egyptian hieroglyphics-deciphering tablet.
Where Is Persia?
The Persian Empire spanned Europe's Balkan Peninsula—parts of which are now
Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine—to the Indus River Valley in northwest India and
south to Egypt at its peak under Darius the Great.

The Persians were the first to create regular communication lines connecting the
three continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe. They constructed numerous new roads
and established the world's first mail service.

Persian Culture
Metalwork, rock carvings, weaving, and architecture were all types of art created by the
ancient Persians of the Achaemenid Empire. As the Persian Empire extended to include
other early civilization creative 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 filled with the tombs of Achaemenid kings, were common in early Persian art.
Equestrian scenes and combat wins are depicted in the spectacular rock murals.
Metalwork was also a specialty of the ancient Persians. Smugglers unearthed gold and silver
items among ruins along the Oxus River in what is now Tajikistan in the 1870s.
A miniature golden chariot, coins, and bracelets with griffon designs were among the
antiquities discovered.
Around 180 of these gold and silver pieces, known as the Oxus Treasure, were brought to
London by British diplomats and military personnel working in Pakistan and are currently
housed at the British Museum.
Carpet weaving has a long tradition in Persia, dating back to nomadic tribes. The ancient
Greeks admired the craftsmanship of these hand-woven rugs, which were known for their
intricate designs and vibrant colours. Wool, silk, and cotton make up the majority of Persian
carpets today.

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. The first
Persian Empire was shaped by a different religion: Zoroastrianism .
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's earliest monotheistic religions, named after the Persian
prophet Zoroaster. 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 accounts. While he ruled according to the Zoroastrian law of asha (truth
and justice), he did not force Zoroastrianism on the subjugated peoples of Persia.
Cyrus the Great is credited in Hebrew scriptures with releasing the Jewish people of Babylon
from captivity and allowing them to return to Jerusalem.
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. The Pax Persica, or Persian Peace, is a term used to describe this period.

Fall of 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
completely reached its colossal grandeur.