Week 7.1 Flashcards
What caused Assyria to Fall?
- The fall of Assyria was brough about by two external enemies, the Babylonians of Southern Mesopotamia and the Medes from the high;ands of North-West Iran
- The Babylonians inherieited the role of Assyria , building a large empire. After the fall of Assyria, the Babylonians emerged as the dominant power in the region.
Who were the Persians
Who was thier Ruler that created it
What happened to the Medes?
Who was his son what did he do and who was his sucessor
- The Persians are a people of souther Iran.
- Their Ruler Cryus took control of the whole region of the Zagros mountains, the terriotiity of the Medes, using it as a base to create the persian empire.
- The Medes were incrpoted into the empire of the persians and were not excluded from power.FOR Greek sources, Medes and Persians were virtually equal
- Cryus: Conquered the large state of Lydia and the Babylonian empire. He died in 530 BCE. He left an empire stretching from the meditiati to the Indian ocean
- His son Cambyses: added Egypt and his successpr Dariu I terrottiies in the Indus valley, Central aAsia , Libya and NE gteece. Making the empire the largest of ancient near eastern hsutroy
What lineage did every king claim to be?
- The kings of ersia traced their ancentry back to a certain Achaemenes, so they are called the Achaemenids. Because the kings of Persia claimed descent from Achaemenes, they are commonly referred to as the Achaemenid kings or the Achaemenid dynasty. This lineage was not only a source of legitimacy for the Persian rulers but also a symbol of their connection to the glorious past of their empire.
Who was Darius I
and how did he reorganize the persian empire
- Darius was not a member of the royal hous4, but a high official who claimed distant desecent from Achaemenes. He emerged from a sucession criris a thte death of Cambyses
- Darius Reorgization: He faced many rebllions and took them down he reorgnaized the empire. About 20 Provinces were indsutuied, each governed by a Satrap (Protectoor of the kingdom)
What is Satrap
- The Satrap: was usually a persian of high rank who had his own palace and the local system was usually respect and local elites retained their status
What happened to local tradiitons in persian empire?
- Diversity of the empire was anchenolwed, and loal tradition respected. Local Admisnitrative and religious traiditons continued. The king presented himself as respectful of local gods and even the sponsor of their cult
- Offical inscription were Multilingual
- The king was the Unifying Figure: He appeared with the traditional image of the ruler in different regiosn
- Each king had to be a descendent of Achaemenes and was his responbility to bury his predecessor
Who was the royal family devoted to?
What was the kings responsibility
What connected the persian empire to the provinces?
Who was the Satrap?
- The royal family was devoted to the god Ahuramazda and was the responsibility of the king to guarantee order, justive and truth on behalf of the god
- Pronvinces contributed set amounts of resources including labour
- The Satrap: was usually a persian of high rank who had his own palace and the local system was usually respect and local elites retained their status
- The Persian nobles: were given large estates of crown land in different parts of the epire
- A network of royal roads: connected the persian core to the pronvines
Who were larger non persian or Persians when alrge armies assmebled?
Who made up the infantry and who made the elite troops/officer and calvary?
Were mercenairies hired?
What were the large units made of? and wht were they divided into?
- When large armies were assembled fo important campaigns, non persian soliders outnumbers the persians
- The armies of the satraps were made of local troops, especially infantry, with Persians making the elite troops, the officers and the cavalry
- Troops from the provinces of the empire with their typical weaponry served under the command of a Persian officer.
- Merceneiers were hired
- There were large units of 1,000 men divided into smaller units of 100 and then of 10, with a hierarchy of senior and junior officer
Did the persian empire rely on long range or short range tactics:
What about Calvary?
WHat were superier buidling onthe long tradiitons of near eastern warfare?
- The Persian army relied on a combination of long-range combat, with large numbers of missile troops both on foot and mounted, and close combat with spears, axes and swords. Persian cavalry was numerous and had an important role in battle.
- The Persian army relied on a combination of long-range combat, with large numbers of missile troops both on foot and mounted, and close combat with spears, axes and swords. Persian cavalry was numerous and had an important role in battle.
- Siege craft and military engineering were superior, building on the long tradition of Near Eastern warfare.
- Intelligence and negotiation with potential sympathizers among the enemies were part of the Persian strategy.
Why did only a few elite troops have metal breastplates or scale amrour?
What were the large rectular shields called?
Which was longer persian or greek spears and what were the spears completned with?
What was the main offensive weapon and what did food soliders use them for?
- Only a few elite troops had etal breastplates or scale armour, since mobility was more important than passive protection
- Shields were light. There were also large recrangular shields called Spara, which could be palnted oj the ground and used for the protection of archers.
- Spears were shorter than Greek spears and were complemented by axes, daggers, and swords.
- The bow was the main offensive weapon. Foot soldiers used bows to weaken the enemies before engaging at close quarter
What was persian valvary equiped with?
What was the role of the calvary?
What did the calavry do when enmies were disoringzed or broken?
- Cavalry was equipped with bows, javelins and spears.
- The role of the cavalry was to open battle and weaken the opponents before the infantry came into action.
- They charged up into bowshot and javelin range, hit from different directions and retreated.
- When the enemies were disorganized or broken the cavalry would chase them.
