Persia

The Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, lasted from approximately 559 B.C.E. to 331 B.C.E. At its height, it encompassed the areas of modern-day Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Persian Empire emerged under the leadership of Cyrus II, who conquered the neighboring Median Empire ruled by his grandfather. From then on Cyrus was called the “ shah,” or king, of Persia. Eventually he was known as Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was unlike other emperors because he showed mercy toward the cities and kingdoms he conquered. He was known to spare the life of a defeated king so that the king could guide Cyrus in successfully ruling over the captives’ subjects. Cyrus also practiced religious and cultural tolerance toward conquered people. Cyrus’s relative Darius I (known as Darius the Great) took the throne after him and built the empire to its greatest height. Darius recognized that such a large area needed to be properly structured and organized in order to function efficiently. He set up a system of provinces and governors, and a postal service that spanned the empire in order to establish widespread communication. Darius also used the tribute money paid to him from each province to fund public works, such as roads and canals. The Persian Empire began to decline under the reign of Darius’s son, Xerxes. Xerxes depleted the royal treasury with an unsuccessful campaign to invade Greece and continued with irresponsible spending upon returning hom...

The region that is now the country of Iran has been known by many different names, and has had varying boundaries and borders over the past 5000 years. The name Iran comes from the Avestan word airyānąm, appearing in the time of Cyrus the Great (4th century BC). What was Persia? Persia was first coined by the Greeks as a term to refer to Cyrus the Great’s empire. It stemmed from the the word Parsa, the name of the group of people from which Cyrus the Great emerged to rule. Thus the word Persia is an exonym, a name that is given to a group of people by an outside force. Greek legend associated the name Persia with Perseus, giving him a fictional son, Perses, from whom the Persian people stemmed. Dan talks to Ali Ansari about the history of Iran, and discovers just how much of it there is. Why did the name Iran emerge? The name Iran had long been used – dating back to the Zoroastrians (1000BC) – along with other variations on the name including Arya, (literally, Land of the Aryans). Certainly by the 4th century AD, the term Iran was being used in writing and literature, and some Western texts noted an internal preference for the name Iran by the 19th century. In the 1930s, steps began to be taken by Reza Shah to formalise the change in name from Persia to Iran, and the request came into force in March 1935. The British requested to continue to use Persia as Iran was too similar to Iraq – both countries were involved in the Second World War and occupied by the British and Chu...

ancient Iran, also known as Persia, historic Iran. The term Persia was used for centuries, chiefly in the West, to designate those regions where bc. The first mention of Parsa occurs in the annals of Shalmanesar II, an Assyrian king, in 844 bc. During the rule of the Persian Achaemenian bc), the ancient Greeks first encountered the inhabitants of Persis on the Iranian plateau, when the Achaemenids—natives of Persis—were expanding their political sphere. The Achaemenids were the dominant dynasty during Greek history until the time of ad. The people of this area have traditionally referred to the region as Iran, “Land of the Aryans,” and in 1935 the government of Iran requested that the name Iran be used in lieu of Persia. The two terms, however, are often used interchangeably when referring to periods preceding the 20th century. This article covers the history of Iran and the Iranian peoples from the prehistoric period up to the Arab ad. For the history of the succeeding periods, see the article see see see The Elamites, Medians, and Achaemenids The early history of Iran may be divided into three phases: (1) the prehistoric period, beginning with the earliest evidence of humans on the Iranian plateau ( c. 100,000 bc) and ending roughly at the start of the 1st millennium bc, (2) the protohistoric period, covering approximately the first half of the 1st bc, and (3) the period of the Achaemenian dynasty (6th to 4th century bc), when Iran entered the full light of written histo...

Ancient Persian This region was already inhabited by the Elamites and the people of Susiana whose beliefs are thought to have influenced the later development of Persian religion. The Persians arrived as part of a large-scale migration which included a number of other tribes who referred to themselves as The conflict between Supreme Good & Ultimate Evil was the heart of the early religion & almost all supernatural entities fell on one side or the other. The sky was created first as an orb that could hold water, and the waters were then separated from each other by earth, which was planted with vegetation. Once this was done, Ahura Mazda created the Primordial Bull, Gavaevodata, who was soon after killed by Angra Mainyu (also known as The first human was then created, Gayomartan (also given as Gayomard, Kiyumars), who was so beautiful that Angra Mainyu had to kill him. His seed was purified in the ground by the sun, and from it grew a rhubarb plant, which became the first mortal couple – Mashya and Mashyanag. Ahura Mazda gave them souls through his breath and they lived in harmony with each other and the world until Angra Mainyu whispered to them that he was their true creator and Ahura Mazda was the deceiver. The couple believed this lie and fell from grace, afterwards left to live in a world of disorder and strife. They could choose to live well, even under these conditions, by adhering to the truth of Ahura Mazda and turning away from the enticements of Angra Mainyu. Thi...

Here is a method that you can use as you read to categorize the textual information presented in assigned reading. PERSIA is an acronym that is easy to remember and use. P equals Political, E equals Economic, R equals Religion, S equals Social, I equals Intellectual, and A equals Arts. Historians may use categories like these to analyze or break down the components of an era of U.S. history. As you complete PERSIA charts covering significant time periods, you will have tools to assist you in identifying significant connections between categories and how a certain category may dominate a particular time period. Imagine the power these PERSIA charts will have when you are ready to review for your AP exam! You will have organized the significant aspects of each major era by the very categories you must know to construct an effective essay. Let’s look at a list of key words and questions that you can use to help you complete a PERSIA chart for any era or chapter in your textbook. You may choose to include the following items: presidents/major leaders, judicial rulings, legislation, major movements, revolutions, rebellions, foreign policy, taxes, and tariffs. You should be able to answer the following types of questions after you have charted this section: How did the U.S. government react to events during this era? How did leadership change in the country during this era? Why did the government’s foreign policy stance change? Taxes, tariffs, recessions, depressions, panics, in...

• Afrikaans • العربية • تۆرکجه • Български • Čeština • Dansk • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • Español • فارسی • Français • Frysk • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • ქართული • Magyar • مصرى • Bahasa Melayu • Nederlands • Norsk bokmål • پنجابی • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Simple English • Slovenščina • Suomi • Svenska • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 中文 Main article: Portrait Name Family relations Reign Notes 700–647 BC First known ruler of Media Son of Deioces 647–625 BC Son of Phraortes 624–585 BC The dynasty of the Median kings was known as Cyaxarid dynasty, named after him or a pre-Deicoes king. Son of Cyaxares 585–549 BC Last king of the Medes Teispid kingdom ( c.705–559 BC) [ ] Main articles: Portrait Titles Regnal name Personal name Birth Family relations Reign Death Notes The Great King, King of Kings, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the Four Corners of the World – 600 BC Son of 559–530 BC 530 BC King of Anshan from 559 BC. The Great King, King of Kings, Pharaoh of Egypt – ? Son of Cyrus the Great 530–522 BC 522 BC Died while en route to put down a rebellion. Pharaonic titulary: The Great King, King of Kings, Pharaoh of Egypt Gaumata (?) ? Son of Cyrus the Great (possibly an imposter claiming to be Bardiya) 522 BC 522 BC Killed by Persian aristocrats The Great King, King of Kings, Pharaoh of Egypt – 550 BC Son of 522–486 BC 486 BC Pharaonic titulary: Menkhib Stutre The Great King, King of Kings, Pharaoh...

The Persian Empire was a series of dynasties that lasted from the 6th century BC to the 20th century AD. At its height, the empire stretched from the Indus Valley in India to the Balkan Peninsula in Europe and southwards to Egypt. Five dynasties ruled the Persian Empire before it collapsed in 1925. Throughout the centuries, the territorial boundaries of the empire changed severally, but the political and economic center remained in present-day Iran. Is Iran Persia? The names Persia and Iran are often used interchangeably to refer to the same country. The center of the ancient kingdom of Persia was located in present-day Iran. The use of the term Persia to refer to modern-day Iran was popularized by the west due to the ancient Greek authors. The word “Persia” was derived from “Pers” which is a western version of "Pars". Pars is one of the provinces of Iran and the seat of the ancient Persian Empire. The Rise of the Persian Empire The Persian Empire began around the year 550 BCE when King Cyrus the Great of Achaemenid established dominance over the Aryan Kingdom in the 6th century. The king brought together the Aryan empires and established the Achaemenid Persian Empire. The king sought to expand his kingdom by conquering the non-Aryan territories especially west of Persia. The empire extended from the Indus valley in the east to Greece in the west and southwards into Egypt and Ethiopia. The empire quickly expanded and became the largest in the world at the time. In 330 BCE,...