Assess The Efficiency Of The Persian Empire

As the king Xerces started ruling, the beginning of the decline of tolerance and the Persian Empire as a whole began. Although we do not have the exact facts from this late time period, historians have studied Greek depictions of “increasing brutality and repression of the later Achaemenid kings, provoking violent uprisings among the subject people.” (Day of Empire pg. 21) The pivotal point of failure occurred when Darius III took the power of the Empire. During this time, “growing intolerance, unrest, and violence” (Day of Empire pg. 21) was happening amongst the subject peoples. As more and more people were conquered, the Persian Empire had so many diverse people that there was no unity amongst the Persian Empire. Soon, the whole empire came to a fall when Alexander of Macedon began to conquer cities and replace the Persian

While Herodotus in theory refers to Persians as the opposite of Xerxes and the Persians, so Leonidas and the Greeks are viewed as God-Like or Immortals. Later on in the story, Herodotus describes a man named Demaratus speaking to the Persian king Xerxes, he says, “You are now face to face with the first kingdom in Greece and with the bravest men”(Herodotus 7.209). This quote explains how Demaratus tells Xerxes that Leonidas and his men are the bravest people he knows. This claim helps supports Herodotus idea of portraying the Greeks as stronger then the Persians for it gives another person's perspective on how strong the Greeks were. Herodotus shows that not only did other people need to say how strong the Greeks where, you could also see how strong they were on the battlefield. In the text, Herodotus says,“They would turn their backs in unison as if they were in flight, where whereupon the enemy would pursue them with much noise and shouting: then the Spartans, just when the Persian were upon them, would wheel around, face the enemy and inflict heavy losses on them. Some Spartans also feel, but not may”(Herodotus

The Persian Empire is arguably one of the greatest and largest empires ever in the history of the world. It was in place from approximately 550 to 334 BCE in Asia Minor and Persia. Throughout the time the empire was in place there were multiple kings that ruled it changing the cultures of the people living in the empire. The Book of Ester is a book from the Hebrew Bible written during the fourth century BCE that tells the story of a Persian king Achashvairosh. In the story information is given on how Persian Kings were able rule their vast empire for such a long period of time. The Persian Kings that ruled the Persian Empire were able to do their job successfully, deal with problems they faced, and keep their empire culturally vast because

The Persian Wars were a series of destructive and malevolent battles which occurred in the time frame of 490B.C and 480 – 479B.C. The Greek victory over the Persians in the Persian Wars cannot be attributed to only one factor, more it was a commixture of factors. Such factors include unity, leadership, strategy, tactics and the pre-eminence of the Greek soldier. Each contributing factor was to play a distinctive and pivotal role in the various battles to come, which ultimately would lead to the subsequent demise of the Persians.

Cyrus the Great’s(C. 600-530 BCE) expansion started in Persia, located on the southern portion of the Iranian peninsula, Cyrus conquered the Medes, led by King Astyages, circa 559 BCE in the northern part of the peninsula. From there, he moved into Ecbatana to take over the Medes. He united the them with

As the founder of a new empire after overthrowing his uncle, Cyrus had plans to take over the Mediterranean Coast and to control a good piece of land from Asia Minor. His enemies knowing his power, joined

During the reign of the greatest Achaemenid ruler he expanded his empire to the East as far as the Indus river and to the west, the black sea. Creating the largest empire the world had ever seen, he also created a vast and complex system to govern all of his land and its diversity with a coin system,taxes, and laws.

A man named Cyrus overthrew the Persian monarch and became the forefather of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. He united the Persian tribes and conquered Lydia, as well as Mesopotamia later on in his rule.

The Achaemenid empire was the largest in geographical area in antiquity and covered over 6 million square kms from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Indian ocean in the south from Egypt in the west to the Indus River in the east. In the Greco-Persian wars from 499 BC-449 BC this colossal empire lost due to superior Greek military capabilities residing in the exceptional Greek generals and professional troop contingents.

“So Darius son of Hystaspes was made king, and the whole of Asia, which Cyrus first and Cambyses after him had conquered, was subject to him, except the Arabians; these did not yield as of slaves to the Persians, but were united to them by friendship, having given Cambyses passage into Egypt, which the Persians could not enter without the consent of the Arabians.” Herodotus once wrote. To establish better control, he divided the empire into regions. He divided Persia into 20 areas. Governors called satraps governed the regions in Darius’s name.

Cyrus II the Great is credited as the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus II reigned from 558-530 B.C.E. Cyrus II took control of the weakened Assyrian and Babylonian empires through his powerful, strategic military. Under Cyrus II’s rule, the empire’s military expanded and conquered most of Asia and parts of Europe creating the largest empire in the world during this time period. Cyrus II led his kingdom by respecting the religions and customs of the people he conquered. Cyrus II was successful in molding a centralized administration and creating a stable, working government. His achievements involving military strategy, politics, and human rights impacted and influenced not only the Achaemenid Empire but both Western and Eastern Civilizations. Cyrus II fell wounded while protecting the northeastern border of his empire from raiders ending his reign.

Cyrus the Great became ruler of the Persians because he did not want to be controlled by the meads and along with his nomadic warriors, he overtook them. Previously, the Medes had an Iranian religion of whom the Magi were like the priests of Persia and with their great architectural knowledge, they build fire temples which were used by the Magi to perform ceremonies & rituals. This religion derived from magic and astrology, principles of dualism (good & Evil) and resurrection. This religion is one of the causes for which Cyrus the great, rebelled against the Medes. With his army, he conquered most of Asia and remained in power because of the type of ruler that he was. Cyrus allowed the people to keep their customs and practice their own religions, worship their own gods and carry their separate rituals,

The impact of expansion on the core Persian Empire was generally looked at and received in a positive manner. Increasing populations created more cities and more job opportunities allowed many Persians the luxury of making more money as the empire grew. The bulk of the empire was still mostly farmers, however. One of the largest influences on the core empire was Zoroastrianism. This was advocated by both Cyrus and Darius, Darius used it in order to claim divine right to kingship. This new religion spread very quickly through high-ranking Persians (Bentley and Ziegler, 174). Zoroastrianism preached for people to enjoy this life but to live well for the afterlife (Stearns, Zoroastrianism: The Major Persian Religion, 43-45). This allowed people to have fun in this life and still be able to have eternal bliss; when people are having fun and happy they are less likely to challenge their rulers.

During the course of his life and reign, Alexander had fought and won many battles and wars, defeating many kings and warlords throughout the ancient world. Perhaps his most recognized conquest was of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and its ‘King of Kings’ Darius III during the Battle of Issus 1. After defeating the Persians at the Battle

The film Alexander attempts to recreate the events of the Hellenic conquests and the downfall of the first Persian Achaemenid Empire. In the film the battle of Gaugamela shows the Greeks advancing in ordered and disciplined ranks. In contrast the armies of Darius III are shown as a mob-like organization this is a false image of the Achaemenid army. The Achaemenids used drums and musical instruments to direct the marching tactics of their troops in battle. Persian units were formed in legions of ten, hundred, or ten