Persian Empire Research Paper

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The Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great around 1900 B.C. after the fall of Babylon. Persia controlled areas from asia minor to India being the largest empire of its time controlling about five million square miles. Persia was unified under Darius I who established a bureaucratic system of government. The Persians had Zoroastrianism as their religion. Persia was divided into provinces each called a satrapy. Darius I encouraged unity by creating a single set of laws for the empire and had many roads rebuilt. Darius I also set up a common set of weight and measure are encouraged the use of coins. Persia tolerated those that they conquered as to not give fuel to a revolution. Throughout the reign of Darius I he came into contact with …show more content…

Alexander had replaced many Persian elite with his Macedonian nobles. After Alexander’s death, Persepolis had been burned but Achaemenian traditions were still practiced. However revolts were brutally crushed but the populus of Persia were largely loyal to their new ruler. Many went on with their normal life afterward, regular practices were still permitted as was zoroastrianism. Even with the crushing blow to the Persian, Alexander the Great was only able to hold onto power for seven years. After Alexander fell out of power the Seleucid dynasty gained control of the empire. Being in between the Romans and the Parthians ment that the empire would eventually fall. In 247 B.C. the area between the Caspian sea and central Asia was taken over by a Parthian general. The former Persian empire, now called the Seleucid empire lasted for a century and a half despite the territorial loss to both the Romans and the …show more content…

While hebrew writing speaks of jewish communities in Mesopotamia. The Sasanians were seen as extremely similar to the past Achaemenian dynasty. They brought back the use of Achaemenian royal names such as Darius, Cyrus, Xerxes, And Artaxerxes. Shapur I successfully defended against Roman attacks on multiple occasions, and occasionally capturing their emperor and killing him. Shapur appointed many of his close family members to administrative jobs. Some of the first zoroastrian writing was only written in the early fourteenth century due to it being passed down orally. Up until the fourteenth century zoroastrian religious text was passed down in speech, hymns, and from other rituals. The title of kings within the Sasanian empire was Shahanshah of kings or king of kings. After Shapur I came Shapur II who reformed the church, and centralized the government. Shapur was mostly known for his suppression of the arab tribes within the empire. Ardashir II succeeded Shapur II but was deposed by Shapur III, during these times the borders were being encroached on by the Huns, Byzantines, and was threatened on its western

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