Chapter 7 - Persia

Question 1

What are the 4 Persian dynasties?

Answer 1

The four Persian dynasties are the Achaemenids, the Seleucids, the Parthians, and the Sasanids.

Question 2

What years were the Achaemenids active?

Answer 2

The Achaemenids were active from 558 B.C.E to 330 B.C.E.

Question 3

What two peoples composed the Achaemenid Empires?

Answer 3

The Medes and the Persians were the two peoples that comprised the Achaemenids empires.

Question 4

What languages did the Medes and the Persians speak?

Answer 4

The Medes and the Persians spoke an Indo-European language.

Question 5

What was the early Persian political system?

Answer 5

The early Persian political system was made up of clans.

Question 6

Where did the Medes and Persians migrate from?

Answer 6

The Medes and Persians migrated from Central Asia to Persia.

Question 7

Who launched Persia’s imperial venture?

Answer 7

Cyrus the Great launched Persia’s imperial venture.

Question 8

How did Cyrus become Persia’s leader, founding the Achaemenid Empires?

Answer 8

Cyrus the Great rebelled against his Median overlords and eventually took their place. During his reign, he conquered Lydia in Anatolia and captured Babylonia. His empires stretched from India to the borders of Egypt. Cyrus eventually died after being mortally wounded in battle.

Question 9

Describe the leader succeeding Cyrus.

Answer 9

The successor to Cyrus was his son, Cambyses II. He conquered Egypt and his name is found on the Cyrus Cylinder.

Question 10

What is the Cyrus Cylinder?

Answer 10

The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder that is a written declaration of Cyrus the Great.

Question 11

What was the political system like under Darius I?

Answer 11

The administrators consisted of satraps, provincial governors, who raise taxes, defended territory, and controlled a judicial court. This system was started by Cyrus but completed by Darius.

Question 12

Did Darius manage to capture Greece?

Answer 12

Darius I failed to punish Athens and capture Greece during the Battle of Marathon. (1st Persian War)

Question 13

In which cities does the Persian Royal Road start and finish?

Answer 13

The Persian Royal Road stretches from Sardis to Susa. It takes 90 days to cross.

Question 14

Describe Persepolis.

Answer 14

Persepolis was the new capital of Persia that began construction under Darius I. It was the administrative center at the time and was destroyed by a campaign by Alexander the Great.

Question 15

Who succeeded Darius I?

Answer 15

Xerxes succeeded Darius I. Under his reign, construction of Persepolis continued. Xerxes harshly repressed rebellion during his reign. He attempted a massive invasion on Greece but lost. (2nd Persian War)

Question 16

Describe the Persian Wars and how they started.

Answer 16

Ionian Greeks fell under Persian domination. (Cyrus) These Greeks rebelled and and executed their Persian satraps. Greek city-states sent a fleet to assist the Ionians. Darius I led an expedition to conquer Greece and punish Athens. This was the First Persian War, the Battle of Marathon. Persia lost. 10 years later, Xerxes also sends a land expedition and sends a huge army. Darius went only by sea and not by land. This was the second Persian war. (Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea) Greece won all these except Thermopylae.

Question 17

How do the Achaemenid Empires fall?

Answer 17

The Achaemenid Empires fall when Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great) invades Persia under the pretext of avenging the Persian invasion of Greece. Even with the Persians having a bigger army, Alexander takes the throne and claims to be Persian himself. This displeases the Macedonians at home.

Question 18

What happened when Alexander the Great died?

Answer 18

When Alexander died, his empire splintered into several parts with each part being ruled by a general. The general in charge of Persia was Seleucus, who founded the 2nd Persian empire, the Seleucids. The empire retained the previous administrative and taxation systems but faced native opposition.

Question 19

How did the Seleucid Empires fall?

Answer 19

The Seleucid Empires fell to Roman conquerors.

Question 20

What was the 3rd Persian empire and how did they come to be?

Answer 20

The 3rd Persian empire was the Parthians. They struggled with the Seleucids and one of their satraps revolted. A general, Mithradates I transformed the Parthians’ land into an empire when he captured Iran and Mesopotamia. Being a general, he had access to heavy cavalry, like cataphracts.

Question 21

What was the 4th Persian Empire?

Answer 21

The 4th Persian Empire was the Sasanids, who claimed to be descendants of the Achaemenids. They toppled the Parthians in A.D. 224. Shapur I fought the Romans. The Sasanids were eventually defeated by an Arab army.

Question 22

What were qanats?

Answer 22

Qanats were underground canals that served as a form of irrigation.

Question 23

Where did metallic coins originate?

Answer 23

Metallic coins originated in Lydia.

Question 24

When did Cyrus start using coins in his own empire?

Answer 24

Cyrus started using coins when he defeated Lydia.

Question 25

Who was the supreme god in Zoroastrianism?

Answer 25

Ahura Mazda was the supreme god in Zoroastrianism.

Question 26

Why were so much of Persia’s resources invested in roads and highways?

Answer 26

Roads and highways allowed military to be dispatched quickly and easily and allowed for faster communication in case of emergency.

Question 27

What faith emerged from Zarathustra’s teachings?

Answer 27

Zoroastrianism emerged from Zarathustra’s teachings.

Question 28

Was Zoroastrianism monotheistic?

Answer 28

Zoroastrianism believed in a supreme god, Ahura Mazda, but was not monotheistic.

Question 29

Why is there little info on Zarathustra and Zoroastrianism?

Answer 29

There is little info on Zarathustra and Zoroastrianism because the magis (priests) almost always taught verbally.

Question 30

What are Gathas?

Answer 30

Gathas are Zarathustra’s hymns.

Question 31

What was the name of the evil spirit who was said to have engaged in conflict with Ahura Mazda?

Answer 31

Angra Mainyu (“destructive spirit”/”hostile spirit”) engaged in conflict with Ahura Mazda.

Question 32

What caused Zoroastrianism’s decline?

Answer 32

Magis, who taught the faith mainly verbally, were killed during Alexander the Great’s Persian campaign. Temples were burned. The faith still survived and experience a revival during the Sasanid empires. However, it faced immense political and financial pressure when Islamic conquerors captured the empires. This scattered believers and even converted some to Islam.

Question 33

What brought down the Parthian empires?

Answer 33

The Parthian empires were brought down by internal rebellion.