Persia and Other Empires

Persia Overview: Four Major Dynasties

• Achaemenid Dynasty (558 BC-330 BC)
  • Biblical Story.
  • Ended with Alexander the Great’s Conquests (334 BC-323 BC).
• Seleucid Dynasty (323 BC-83 BC)
• Parthian Dynasty (247 BC-224 AD)
• Sassanid Dynasty (224 AD-651 AD)

The Achaemenid Dynasty's Approach

Persian Government & Infrastructure

• Satraps:
  • Decentralized Government
  • Each Satrapy (Region) was ruled by a Satrap (Governor).
  • The King ruled over all Satrapies and held them accountable.
  • Local governance allowed for the maintenance of local customs (with a few tweaks).
  • A network of spies squelched rebellion and disloyalty among satraps.
• Royal Roads:
  • Increased mobility for the military.
  • Allowed for quick communication.
  • Spanned 1,600 miles.
  • Could be traversed in a week.
• Qanats:
  • Underground Irrigation Systems.
  • Allowed for agriculture to develop.
  • Allowed for the growth of larger cities.
• Regional Relations:
  • Tensions with Northern Nomads.
  • Desire for conquest vs. Desire for Trade.
  • Cyrus the Great died in a fight with the Scythians.
• Walled Cities:
  • Increased prosperity brings increased attacks.
  • Increased attacks require increased defenses.
  • Darius built Persepolis as the capital.
  • Walls around Persepolis ranged from 12ft to 41ft tall depending on ground height.

Alexander the Great

• King of Macedonia.
  • An area that vacillated between Persian control and independence.
  • Extremely Greek—Studied under Aristotle.
  • After conquest, took a note from the Persians.
• Persian Influence on Alexander the Great:
  • Multicultural Empire.
  • Sought to gain the loyalty of his conquered regions.
  • Did not set up Greeks as elite and other cultures as secondary.
  • Continued fortifying newly conquered cities.
• Dorothy Mills on Alexander the Great Context:
  • Alexander's followers noticed that their Greek general was becoming less and less Greek.