This dynasty, sometimes referred to as the Achaemenid Empire, was the center of world cultural, religious, scientific, artistic and technological civilization for more than 200 years before it fell to Alexander the Great.
Cyrus the Great: Founder of the Persian Empire
Cyrus II was one of the greatest kings of ancient centuries. Although he is the grandson of the famous King Mendes, Astyages, the king actually wanted to kill his grandson.
The plot of the murder was planned when Cyrus was born. But he survived after the shepherd who was assigned to kill him actually saved him.
He grew up in a shepherd family, before finally at the age of 10 he returned to his original parents, the daughter of Mandane and King of Persia Cambyses I.
Growing up in a family that was always oppressed by the kingdom of Mendes, Cyrus also made him hate his grandfather. After replacing his father in 559 BC, Cyrus then led the war against his grandfather in 553 BC.
The war that lasted for three years finally ended with Cyrus' victory. The victory marked the founding of the Persian Empire in 550 BC.
Government system of the Persian Empire
The first Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great soon became the world's first superpower empire. The empire succeeded in establishing a unitary government that controlled the three most important sites of early human civilization: Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley of Egypt and the Indus Valley of India.
At its peak, the Persian Empire stretched from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe - in parts of what is today Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine - to the Indus River Valley in northwestern India and south to Egypt.
There is a characteristic of the Persian conquest, rather than destroying the local economy for their own selfish advantage, the Persians chose to work to increase trade throughout their empire. They standardize the scales, develop official coins, and apply universal laws.
Persian leaders are obliged to be cooperative and impose a 20 percent tax on all agriculture and manufacturing. They also impose a tax on religious institutions, which despite their previous wealth are not taxed.
Meanwhile, the Persians themselves were not taxed.
Persian kings - especially Cyrus and, later, Darius I (522-486 BC) - developed a model for the administration of a large kingdom which was followed by other kingdoms in the future. The law is applied fairly and equally among all different subjects.
Based in the capital city of Persepolis, Darius I divided their kingdom into 20 provinces run by satrap (governor). Local residents then provide land to feudal landlords in return for loyalty and security guarantees from the Persian army. Most of the people in the empire on average work as farmers or craftsmen.
The Persian capital, Persepolis, located in southern Iran is among the largest archeological sites in the world. Persepolis was included in the UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.
The Achaemenia Persepolis Palace was built on a very large terrace. They are adorned with ornamental facades that include sculptures of the famous ancient Persian long stone reliefs.
So that large areas are well managed, of course, requires good communication. For this reason, Cyrus built the foundations of a courier system, or mail. Darius I then built a communication network that connected most of the empire.
A 1,600-mile highway was built from Sardis to Susa, one of the administrative capitals. Along this road, there are many places for lodging, where royal couriers can get horses and fresh supplies.
Culture of the Ancient Persians
Ancient Persia created art in various forms, including metal, stone carvings, weaving and architecture. When the Persian Empire expanded to include the artistic center of other early civilizations, various new cultures were formed from the influence of Persian culture.
Early Persian art included large stone reliefs carved into the cliffs, such as those found at Naqsh-e Rustam, an ancient tomb filled with the tombs of the Achaemenid kings. In that place, there are intricate stone murals depicting scenes of riding and battle victories.
The ancient Persians were also known for their metals. In the 1870s, smugglers found gold and silver artifacts among the ruins near the Oxus River in Tajikistan today.
Artifacts include small gold trains, coins, and bracelets adorned with griffon motifs. (Griffon is a mystical creature with eagle wings and head and a lion's body, and a symbol of Persian persepolis.)
British diplomats and military personnel serving in Pakistan brought around 180 of this gold and silver - known as the Oxus Treasure - to London where they are now kept in the British Museum.
The history of woven carpets in Persia comes from nomadic tribes. The ancient Greeks loved this hand-woven carpet art. The carpets are famous for their intricate designs and bright colors.
Ancient Persian Religion
Many people consider Persia to be a synonym with Islam, although Islam only became the dominant religion in the Persian Empire after the conquest of Arabia in the seventh century. The first Persian Empire was formed by a different religion: Zoroastrianism.
The name of the religion comes from the Persian prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra). Zoroastrianism is arguably the first monotheistic religion in the world. Until now the religion is still practiced as a minority religion in parts of Iran and India.
Zoroaster, who probably lived between 1,500 and 500 BC, taught his followers to worship one god, not many, as previously Indo-Iranian groups worshiped.
The Achaemenian kings were devout Zoroastrians. According to most accounts, Cyrus the Great was a tolerant ruler who allowed his people to speak their own language and practice their own religion. Although he himself adhered to the Zoroastrian Asha (truth and truth) law, he did not impose Zoroastrianism on people from the territories conquered by Persia.
The Hebrew scriptures praise Cyrus for freeing the Jews in Babylon and allowing them to return to Jerusalem.
Subsequent rulers in the Achaemenid Empire followed Cyrus's model of approach to social and religious affairs, thus enabling the diverse Persians to continue practicing their own way of life. This time period is sometimes called Pax Persica or Persian Peace.
The collapse of the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire entered a period of decline after the failure of Xerxes I's invasion of Greece in 480 BC. The management of expensive Persian lands also consumed the imperial treasury. This condition causes the imposition of high taxes for the Persians.
The Achaemenid Dynasty finally fell to Alexander the Great in 330 BC. The next ruler tried to restore the glory of the Persian Empire, but the empire never reached the level of glory that had been achieved by Cyrus the Great and Darius I.
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