The Mesopotamian idea of a universal monarchy (which first appeared in the 3rd millennium BC under the Sumerians) was embraced and made a success by the Persians. Peace, harmony and a compassionate leadership were decided on, in place of heedless ruination and degrading oppression. Expanding on the erratic unity constituted by the Assyrians, the Persians led the ANE to the highest point of its political power. Roads were opened to Europe and India – only the west was excluded (there the endless conflict of war meant an inevitable confrontation).
The Achaemenid Empire
During the 8th Century BC, the Persians settled on the edge of the Bakhtiari Mountains, an area today known as Fars, in modern Iran. It was here that Achaemenes established the Persian, or Achaemenid dynasty. The Persians were later on dominated by Cyaxares, the Median king, and in the first half of the 6th Century, Astyages, allowed his daughter to marry Cambyses I, possibly realizing the growing power of the Persian race.
Cyrus, the Beloved of Yahweh
The marriage produced a son, Cyrus, who became an excellent soldier and brave warrior, and was the reason the Medes were eventually defeated. He went on to invade India, conquer Anatolia and occupy Babylonia as far as Egypt’s frontier. And thus began the greatest of the eastern empires. Remarkably open-minded in religious matters, Cyrus allowed 40 000 Israelites to return home after being exiled to Babylonia by Nebuchadrezzar. The Jews simply had to accept his overlordship, and due to the generosity of this gesture, the Old Testament calls Cyrus the ‘beloved’ of Yahweh.
The Satrapies
Cyrus kept local officers in his conquered provinces, known as ‘satrapies’, though he installed Persian governors there, known as ‘satraps’. Other officials, who answered directly to the king, kept watch over the satraps. They were unable to ‘misappropriate’ funds due to the sharp eyes of tax collectors, and they were powerless to lead a rebellion against the king due to the strong presence of garrison commanders.
Cyrus was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II (529 – 522 BC), who conquered Egypt – the final and most autonomous of the Ancient Near Eastern powers. Although he could be quite severe concerning political infractions, he always maintained his father’s liberal policies. Cambyses died returning home from Egypt (after quelling a revolt there), around 552 BC, and was succeeded by Darius I, a descendant of the Achaemenid Dynasty.
Darius the Great
Darius managed to overcome all revolts, and had complete accord within two years. His accomplishment is carved high on the walls of a pass in northwestern Iran, in three languages – Old Persian, Elamite and Akkadian, and is today’s key to the deciphering of the cuneiform script.) Persian control went as far as India in the east and the Balkan Peninsula in the west (though the western borders of the empire were a persistent dilemma for the Achaemenids).
The Royal Road
A complete system of roads was built and maintained by Darius, especially the famous Royal Road from Susa in Khuzistan (south-western Iran), to Sardis and Ephesos, in western Anatolia. It was about 2700 km long with 100 stations, and meant faster military and economic movement. Commercial expansion was possible due to the political and economic stability of Darius’s reign, and also to the introduction of coinage.
Darius ensured the satrap’s loyalty by appointing family and friends, while important nobles were the king’s council of advisor’s. Royal officials were frequently dispatched to report on the trustworthiness of the satraps. Commerce thrived and all conquered people lived under a common law.
These extensive undertakings show the invasive capabilities of a state with unequalled, enlarged borders. The immense Persian Empire, consisting of widely divergent people and cultures, could not have survived without social and political restructuring, through which the old and new could be reconciled and discord could be minimized. This was possibly Cyrus the Greats most important achievement.
Sources:
- Oliphant, Margaret The Ancient World Marshall Editions Ltd (1997).
- Haywood, John The Cassell Atlas of the Ancient World Cassell (1998).
- Coogan, Michael The Oxford History of the Biblical World Oxford (1998).
- Knapp, Bernard A History and Culture of Ancient Western Asia and Egypt Wadsworth Publishing (1990).
Mellissa Bushby - Mellissa Bushby is an author, illustrator and ceramicist. She studied Fine Art for four years, and her newest book release is January ...
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