Jewish History Bellwork

 What does the term Diaspora mean?

 Which group destroyed the Second

Temple, leading to 2,000 years of
Jewish Diaspora?
 Jewish History Bellwork
 What does the term Diaspora mean?
 Dispersion of any people from their
original homeland, specifically of Jewish
peoples

 Which group destroyed the Second

Temple, leading to 2,000 years of
Jewish Diaspora?
 The Romans
 Objective
 WWBT: Introduce the major
leaders and accomplishments of
the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire
 Interactive Notebook
 9/28/2016
 Persian General Info
 This will be one page
Persian Cyrus the Darius the The Persians
Empire Great Great
Background
 Persian Empire
Background
 Also known as the Achaemenid Empire

 Would occupy the arid area between

Mesopotamia and the nomadic tribes of
central Asia.
 Indo-European ethnic groups organized into
clans who became loosely connected to
Mesopotamian overloads.
 Medes and Persians began to appear in the
region east of Mesopotamia about 1300
B.C.E., bringing with them the use of iron.
 Persian Empire
Background
 Capitalized on weakening Assyrian and
Babylonian empires
 Cyrus (r. 558-530 BCE) founder of
dynasty
 “Cyrus the Shepherd”
 Peak under Darius (r. 521-486 BCE)
 Ruled Indus to the Aegean
 Capital Persepolis
 Persian Empire
Background
 Four major dynasties
 Achaemenids (558-330 BCE)
 Seleucids (323-283 BCE)
 Parthians (247 BCE-224 CE)
 Sasanids (224-651 CE)
 Cyrus the Great
 Empire stretched from Northern
Mesopotamia, Syria, Canaan,
Phoenician cities, Lydia, Greek city-
states in Asia Minor
 A tolerant ruler
 He allowed different cultures
within his empire to keep their
own institutions.
 The Greeks called him a
“Law-Giver.”
 The Jews called him “the
anointed of the Lord.” (In
580 – 529 B. C. E. 537, he allowed over 40,000
 Tomb of Cyrus the
Great

Iranian artists
rendition of Cyrus
the Great
The Cyrus Cylinder, sometimes described
as the "first charter of human rights"
 Cyrus the Great
 Even though he broke the balance when he
defeated the Medes, Babylonians, and Lydians of
western Asia, he was seen as a liberator of
Babylon

 He allowed local rulers to continue work under

Persian direction

 Upon his questionable death, his son, Cambyses

II, expanded Cyrus’ conquest by capturing
Memphis and taking control of Egypt

 The empire would eventually stretch from North

Africa to the Indus River.
Persian Empire
 Darius the Great (526 – 485 B.
C. E.) Best organizer
among Persian
kings
Built Persepolis.
 He extended the
Persian Empire to
the Indus River in
northern India.
(empire stretched
3000 mls)
 He conquered
Egypt & built a
canal in Egypt
Persepolis
 Persepolis

Gate of Xerxes at
Persepolis
Persepolis
Persepolis
Ancient Persepolis
Persepolis
The People of Persepolis
 Darius the Great
(526 – 485 B. C.
E.)  Established a tax-collecting
system.
 Divided the empire into 23
provinces
called SATRAPIES
Ruled by a governor called
satrap
Built the great Royal Road
system
 Established a complex postal
system
Persian “Royal Road”
 The Persians
 Persians = very
tolerant rulers
 Allowed conquered
people to keep own
languages, religions,
and laws
 Artisans built city of
Persepolis = most
magnificent city in
the empire
The Persians
 Big network of roads
 Allowed for trade
between different
peoples/cultures in
the empire
 Allowed for easy
movement of soldiers
 Royal Road = longest
road in the empire 
had stations along it
so travelers could get
food, water, and
fresh horses
Persian “Royal Road”
Persian Archers & Soldiers
 The Persians
 480 BCE = Darius’s son Xerxes
tried to conquer Greece to expand
the empire
 Failed to defeat the Greeks
 The Fall of the Persians
 Differences between Persians and its subject peoples
became too difficult to overcome.
 Unfortunately, the tolerance for other traditions
exhibited by Cyrus and Darius was not continued by
Xerxes, the successor of Darius.
 His policies led to rebellions which culminated in the
Persian Wars with Greece. A long period of warfare with
Greek city-states resulted in “defeat” and decline.
(Marathon & Thermoplyae)
 In 334 B.C.E., Macedonian conqueror Alexander the
Great invaded Persia and defeated the Persians three
years later. Persia was then divided into three regions
ruled by Alexander’s generals until their defeat in 651
C.E.