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16-September-2008 16:15:14 - Achaemenid Empire Achaemenid Persian Empire شاهنشاهی هخامنشی ایران Achaemenid Empire. Vexilloid The vexilloid of the Achaemenid Empire was a gold falcon on a field of crimson. 1 2 Languages Persian, Elamite, Aramaic,Hebrew Religions There was no official state religion. Zoroastrianism was practised by the nobility but limited to them and was also the royal faith but numerous others religions, such as Judaism, were practised. Capitals Anshan, Ecbatana, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa Area Near East, Central Asia, Western South Asia, North Africa, and Southeast Europe Existed 550-330 BCE Faravahar background History of Greater Iran Empires of Persia · Kings of Persia Pre-modern Before Islam BCE Zayandeh River Civilization prehistoric-? Sialk civilization 7500-1000 Jiroft civilization Aratta 3000-? Proto-Elamite civilization 3200-2800 Bactria-Margiana Complex 2200-1700 Elamite dynasties 2800-550 Kingdom of Mannai 10th-7th cent. Median Empire 728-550 Achaemenid Empire 550-330 Seleucid Empire 330-150 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 250-125 Parthian Empire 248-CE 224 CE Kushan Empire 30-275 Sassanid Empire 224-651 Hephthalite Empire 425-557 Kabul-Shahi dynasty 565-670 After Islamic Conquest Patriarchal Caliphate 637-651 Umayyad Caliphate 661-750 Abbasid Caliphate 750-1258 Tahirid dynasty 821-873 Alavid dynasty 864-928 Saffarid dynasty 861-1003 Samanid dynasty 819-999 Ziyarid dynasty 928-1043 Buyid Dynasty 934-1055 Ghaznavid Empire 975-1187 Ghori dynasty 1149-1212 Seljuk Empire 1037-1194 Khwarezmid dynasty 1077-1231 Kartids dynasty 1231-1389 Ilkhanate 1256-1353 Muzaffarid dynasty 1314-1393 Chupanid dynasty 1337-1357 Jalayerid dynasty 1339-1432 Timurid Empire 1370-1506 Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans 1407-1468 Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans 1378-1508 Safavid Empire 1501-1722 Mughal Empire 1526-1857 Hotaki dynasty 1722-1729 Afsharid dynasty 1736-1802 or 1736 Modern SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic Afghanistan Durrani Empire 1748-1823 British and Russian influence 1826-1919 Independence and civil war 1919-1929 Mohammedzai rule 1929-1973 Republic of Afghanistan 1973-1978 Communist rule 1978-1992 Recent history of Afghanistan since 1992 Timeline Azerbaijan Khanates of the Caucasus 1722-1828 Russian Rule 1828-1917 Democratic Republic 1918-1920 Azerbaijan SSR 1920-1991 Republic of Azerbaijan since 1991 Bahrain Portuguese rule 1521-1602 British Treaty 1820-1971 Kingdom of Bahrain since 1971 Iran Zand dynasty 1750-1794 Qajar dynasty 1781-1925 Pahlavi dynasty 1925-1979 Iranian Revolution 1979 Provisional Government 1979 Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979 Iraq Ottoman Empire 1632-1919 Hashimite monarchy 1920-1958 Coup and Republic 1958-2003 Republic of Iraq since 2004 Tajikistan Emirate of Bukhara 1785-1920 Bukharan / Uzbek SSR 1920-1929 Tajik Autonomous SSR 1929 Tajik SSR 1929-1991 Republic of Tajikistan since 1991 Uzbekistan Emirate of Bukhara 1785-1920 Uzbek SSR 1924-1991 Independence 1991 Republic of Uzbekistan since 1991 The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire Persian: هخامنشیان IPA: haχɒmaneʃijÉ’n 550-330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran, and followed the Median Empire as the second great empire of the Iranian Peoples. At the height of its power, the Achaemenid Empire encompassed approximately 7.5 million square kilometers and was territorially the largest empire of classical antiquity. The empire was forged by Cyrus the Great, and spanned three continents, including territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan, parts of Central Asia, Asia Minor, Thrace, much of the Black Sea coastal regions, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and all significant population centers of ancient Egypt as far west as Libya. It is noted in western history as the foe of the Greek city states in the Greco-Persian Wars, for freeing the Israelites from their Babylonian captivity, and for instituting Aramaic as the empire's official language. Because of the Empire's vast extent and long endurance, Persian influence upon the language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law and government of nations around the world lasts to this day. Contents 1 History 1.1 The early period 1.2 Greco-Persian Wars 1.3 The cultural phase 2 Fall of the empire begins 3 Second reign over Egypt falls 4 Government 5 Culture 5.1 Language 5.2 Customs 5.3 Religion 5.4 Art and architecture 6 Achaemenid kings and leaders 6.1 Unattested 6.2 Attested 7 Notes 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links History The empire began as a tributary state of the Medes but ended up conquering and enlarging the Median empire to include Egypt and Asia Minor. Under Xerxes, it came very close to conquering Ancient Greece. The Achaemenids were overthrown by the conquest of Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. The early period The founder of this dynasty was supposedly Achaemenes: هخامنش Old Persian HaxÄ?maniÅ¡ Of Friendly Mind. He was succeeded by his son Teispes CiÅ¡pi, who first took the title King of AnÅ¡Ä?n after seizing AnÅ¡Ä?n city from the Elamites. Inscriptions indicate that when Teispes died, two of his sons shared the throne as Cyrus KuruÅ¡, king of AnÅ¡Ä?n, and Ariaramnes AriyÄ?ramna, 'Having the Iranians at Peace', king of Parsua later called PÄ?rsa, that is, Persia Proper. They were succeeded by their respective sons Cambyses I of Anshan KambÅ«jiya, the Elder, and Arsames ArÅ¡Ä?ma Having a Hero's Might of Iran Persia. In 559 BCE, Cambyses I the Elder was succeeded as king of AnÅ¡Ä?n by his son Cyrus II the Great, who also succeeded the still-living Arsames as King of Persia, thus reuniting the two realms. Cyrus is considered to be the first true king of the Achaemenid dynasty, as his predecessors were subservient to Media. Cyrus II conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon. Cyrus was politically shrewd, modeling himself as the savior of conquered nations. To reinforce this image, he instituted policies of religious freedom, and restored temples and other infrastrcture in the newly acquired cities. Most notably the Jews of Babylon, as recorded in the Cyrus Cylinder and the Tanakh. It was the general policy of the Achaemenids to continue the Assyrian and Babylonian practice of transferring large populations between areas.citation needed This caused a great deal of cultural diffusion, blending many of the disparate clans together, and thus reducing previous tribal and territorial loyalties. As a result, the Achaemenid era was known as a relatively peaceful period in Middle Eastern history.citation needed His immediate successors were less successful. Cyrus' son Cambyses II conquered Egypt, but died in July 522 BCE as the result of either accident or suicide, during a revolt led by a sacerdotal clan that had lost its power following Cyrus' conquest of Media. These priests, whom Herodotus called Magi, usurped the throne for one of their own, Gaumata, who then pretended to be Cambyses II's younger brother Smerdis Pers. Bardiya, who had been assassinated some three years earlier. Owing to the despotic rule of Cambyses and his long absence in Egypt, the whole people, Perses, Medes and all the other nations, acknowledged the usurper, especially as he granted a remission of taxes for three years Herodotus iii. 68. It is important to note that the claim that Gaumata had impersonated Smerdis, is derived from Darius. Historians are divided over the possibility that the story of the impostor was invented by Darius as justification for his coup 1. Darius made a similar claim when he later captured Babylon, announcing that the Babylonian king was not, in fact, Nebuchadnezzar III, but an impostor named Nidintu-bel. 2 According to the Behistun Inscription, pseudo-Smerdis ruled for seven months before being overthrown in 522 BCE by a member of a lateral branch of the Achaemenid family, Darius I Old Persian DÄ?ryavuÅ¡ Who Holds Firm the Good, also known as Darayarahush or Darius the Great. The Magi, though persecuted, continued to exist, and a year following the death of the first pseudo-Smerdis Gaumata, had a second pseudo-Smerdis named VahyazdÄ?ta attempt a coup. The coup, though initially successful, failed. According to Herodotus, the native leadership then debated the best form of government for the Empire. He reports that it was decided that oligarchy would divide them against one another, and democracy would bring about mob rule resulting in a charismatic leader resuming the monarchy. Therefore, they decided a new monarch was in order, particularly since they were in a position to choose him. Darius I was chosen monarch from among the leaders. He was cousin to Cambyses II and Smerdis, claiming Ariaramnes as his ancestor. The world, c. 500 BCE, showing the Achaemenid Empire in brown relative to the rest of the world at the time. The world, c. 500 BCE, showing the Achaemenid Empire in brown relative to the rest of the world at the time. The Achaemenids thereafter consolidated areas firmly under their control. It was Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great who, by sound and farsighted administrative planning, brilliant military maneuvering, and a humanistic world view, established the greatness of the Achaemenids and, in less than thirty years, raised them from an obscure tribe to a world power. It was during the reign of Darius I that Persepolis was built 518-516 BCE and which would serve as capital for several generations of Achaemenid kings. Ecbatana HagmatÄ?na City of Gatherings, modern Hamadan in Media was greatly expanded during this period and served as the summer capital. Darius I attacked the Greek mainland, which had supported rebellious Greek colonies under his aegis; but as a result of his defeat at the Battle of Marathon in 490, he was forced to pull the limits of his empire back to Asia Minor. Greco-Persian Wars Main article: Greco-Persian Wars Nonetheless, by the 5th century BCE the Achaemenid kings ruled over territories roughly encompassing today's Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Bulgaria, many parts of Greece, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Jordan, Palestine,Lebanon, Caucasia, parts of Central Asia, Libya, and northern parts of Arabia. The empire eventually became the largest empire of the ancient world. Xerxes I 485-465 BCE, Old Persian XÅ¡ayÄ?rÅ¡a Hero Among Kings, son of Darius I, organised a massive expion aiming to conquer Greece. His army entered Greece from the north, meeting little or no resistance through Macedonia and Thessaly, but was held by a small Greek force for three days at Thermopylae. A simultaneous naval battle at Artemisium was tactically indecisive as large storms destroyed ships from both sides. The battle was stopped prematurely when the Greeks received news of the defeat at Thermopylae and retreated. The battle was a strategic victory for the Persians, giving them uncontested control of Artemisium and Aegean Sea. Following his victory at the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes sacked the evacuated city of Athens and prepared to meet the Greeks at the strategic Isthmus of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. In 480 BCE the Greeks won a decisive victory at the Battle of Salamis and forced Xerxes to retire to Sardis. The army which he left in Greece under Mardonius was destroyed in 479 BCE at the Battle of Plataea. The final defeat of the Persians at Mycale encouraged the Greek cities of Asia to revolt, and marked the end of the Greco-Persian Wars, along with Persian expansion to Europe. The cultural phase Achaemenid golden bowl with lion imagery Achaemenid golden bowl with lion imagery Xerxes I was followed by Artaxerxes I 465-424 BCE, who moved the capital from Persepolis to Babylon. It was during this reign that Elamite ceased to be the language of government, and Aramaic came into prominence. It was probably during this reign that the solar calendar based on the Babylonian one was introduced as the national calendar. Under Artaxerxes I, Zoroastrianism became the de-facto religion of state, and for this Artaxerxes I is today also known as the Constantine of that faith. Artaxerxes I died in Susa, and his body was brought to Persepolis for interment in the tomb of his forebears. Artaxerxes I was immediately succeeded by his eldest son Xerxes II, who was however assassinated by one of his half-brothers a few weeks later. Darius II was then in Babylon, where he rallied support for himself. He marched eastwards, desposed and put to death the assassin and was crowned in his stead. From 412 Darius II 423-404 BCE, at the insistence of the able Tissaphernes, gave support then to Athens, then to Sparta, but in 407, Darius' son Cyrus the Younger was appointed to replace Tissaphernes and aid was given entirely to Sparta which finally defeated Athens in 404. In the same year, Darius fell fatally ill and died in Babylon. At his deathbed, his Babylonian wife Parysatis pleaded with Darius to have her second eldest son Cyrus the Younger crowned, but Darius refused. Darius was then succeeded by his eldest son Artaxerxes II Memnon. Plutarch relates probably on the authority of Ctesias that the displaced Tissaphernes came to the new king on his coronation day to warn him that his younger brother Cyrus the Younger was preparing to assassinate him during the ceremony. Artaxerxes had Cyrus arrested and would have had him put to death if their mother Parysatis had not intervened. Cyrus was then sent back as Satrap of Lydia, where he prepared an armed rebellion. Cyrus and Artaxerxes met in the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BCE, where Cyrus was killed. Artaxerxes II 404-358 BCE, was the longest reigning of the Achaemenid kings and it was during this 45-year period of relative peace and stability that many of the monuments of the era were constructed. Artaxerxes moved the capital back to Persepolis, which he greatly extended. Also the summer capital at Ecbatana was lavishly extended with gilded columns and roof tiles of silver and copper Polybius, 10.27.12. The extraordinary innovation of the Zoroastrian shrine cults can also be dated to his reign, and it was probably during this period that Zoroastrianism was disseminated throughout Asia Minor and the Levant, and from there to Armenia. The temples, though serving a religious purpose, were however not a purely selfless act: they also served as an important source of income. From the Babylonian kings, the Achaemenids had taken over the concept of a mandatory temple tax, a one-tenth tithe which all inhabitants paid to the temple nearest to their land or other source of income Dandamaev Lukonin, 1989:361-362. A share of this income called the quppu Å¡a Å¡arri, kings chest-an ingenious institution originally introduced by Nabonidus-was then turned over to the ruler. In retrospect, Artaxerxes is generally regarded as an amiable man who lacked the moral fibre to be a really successful ruler. However, six centuries later Ardeshir I, founder of the second Persian Empire, would consider himself Artaxerxes' successor, a grand testimony of the importance of Artaxerxes to the Persian psyche. Fall of the empire begins According to Greek sources, Artaxerxes' successor Artaxerxes III 358 BC-338 BCE came to the throne by bloody means, ensuring his place upon the throne by the assassination of eight of his half-brothers. In 343 BCE Artaxerxes III defeated Nectanebo II, driving him from Egypt, and made Egypt once again a Persian satrapy. In 338 BCE, the very year that Philip of Macedon united the Greek states by force and so paved the way for Alexander, Artaxerxes III died of natural causes according to cuneiform sources but according to the Greek historian Diodorus, Artaxerxes was murdered by his minister, Bagoas.3 Artaxerxes III was succeeded by Artaxerxes IV Arses, who before he could act was also poisoned by Bagoas. Bagoas is further said to have killed not only all Arses' children, but many of the other princes of the land. Bagoas then had Darius III 336-330 BCE, a nephew of Artaxerxes IV, placed on the throne. Darius III, although previously Satrap of Armenia, had no training in governing the empire, but in his first year as emperor he personally forced Bagoas to swallow poison. In 334 BCE, when Darius was just succeeding in subduing Egypt again, Alexander and his battle-hardened Macedonian troops attacked Asia Minor. Second reign over Egypt falls At two different times, the Achaemenids ruled Egypt although the Egyptians twice regained temporary independence from Persia. After the practice of Manetho, Egyptian historians refer to the periods in Egypt when the Achaemenid dynasty ruled as the twenty-seventh dynasty of Egypt, 525-404 BCE, until the death of Darius II, and the thirty-first dynasty of Egypt, 343-332 BCE, which began after Nectanebo II was defeated by the Persian king Artaxerxes III. This second Persian occupation of Egypt ended in 332 when Alexander the Great entered Egypt where he was welcomed as a liberator in Persian-occupied Egypt. The battle of Issus, between Alexander the Great on horseback to the left, and Darius III in the chariot to the right, represented in a Pompeii mosaic dated first century BCE - National Museum of Archaeology in Naples The battle of Issus, between Alexander the Great on horseback to the left, and Darius III in the chariot to the right, represented in a Pompeii mosaic dated first century BCE - National Museum of Archaeology in Naples Alexander defeated western Satraps at the battles of Issus 332 BCE, and the Gaugamela 331 BCE. Next, Alexander marched on Susa, which likewise, capitulated and surrendered vast treasure. Alexander then went eastward to Persepolis which surrendered in early 330 BCE. From Persepolis, Alexander headed north to Pasargadae where he treated the tomb of Cyrus II with respect. From there he headed to Ecbatana, where Darius III had sought refuge. The Persian king was taken prisoner by Bessus, his Bactrian satrap and kinsman. As Alexander approached, Bessus had his men murder Darius and then declared himself Darius' successor, as Artaxerxes V, before retreating into Central Asia to launch a guerrilla campaign against Alexander. They left the body of Darius in the road to delay Alexander, who took his body to Persepolis for an honorable interment. The Achaemenid empire was succeeded by the Seleucid empire, that is, by the generals of Alexander and their descendants, who ruled Persia. They in turn would be succeeded by the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia in North-Eastern Iran, who, quite spuriously, would claim Artaxerxes II for their ancestor. Istakhr, one of the vassal kingdoms of the Arsacids would be overthrown by Papak, a priest of the temple there. Papak's son, ArdaÅ¡ir I, who named himself in remembrance of Artaxerxes II, revolted against the Parthians, defeated them and went on to establish the second Persian Empire, 556 years after the end of the first. Government v d e Provinces of the Achaemenid Empire Behistun and Daiva inscriptions Persia · Elam · Babylonia · Media · Sacae · Yauna · Macedon · Pamphylia · Paphlagonia · Cappadocia · Caria · Lydia · Thrace · Armenia · Assyria · Cilicia · Taxila · Egypt · Gandara · Sattagydia · Gedrosia · Carmania · Maka · Drangiana · Arachosia · Bactria · Parthia · Aria · Chorasmia · Sogdia · Kush · Arabia · Hyrcania · Margu · Dahae · Libya The Achaemenid Empire at its maximum extent By district Herodotus District I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI · XVII · XVIII · XIX · XX The Behistun Inscription tells the story of Darius I's conquests, with the names of twenty-three satrapys subject to him The Behistun Inscription tells the story of Darius I's conquests, with the names of twenty-three satrapys subject to him The Achaemenids were absolutists who allowed a certain amount of regional autonomy in the form of the satrapy system. A satrapy was an administrative unit, usually organized on a geographical basis. A satrap governor administered the region, a general supervised military recruitment and ensured order, and a state secretary kept official records. The general and the state secretary reported directly to the central government. Accomplishments of Darius' reign included codification of the data, a universal legal system upon which much of later Iranian law would be based, and construction of a new capital at Persepolis, where vassal states would offer their yearly tribute at the festival celebrating the spring equinox. The practice of slavery in Achaemenid Persia was generally banned, although there is evidence that conquered and/or rebellious armies were sold into captivity.4 Zoroastrianism, the de facto religion of the empire, explicitly forbids slavery,5 and the kings of Achaemenid Persia followed this ban to varying degrees, as evidenced by the freeing of the Jews at Babylon, and the construction of Persepolis by paid workers. The twenty three satrapies were linked by a 2,500-kilometer highway, the most impressive stretch being the Royal Road from Susa to Sardis, built by command of Darius I. Relays of mounted couriers could reach the remotest of areas in fifteen days. Despite the relative local independence afforded by the satrapy system, royal inspectors, the eyes and ears of the king, toured the empire and reported on local conditions. The king also maintained a personal bodyguard of 10,000 men, called the Immortals. The Persepolis Ruins The Persepolis Ruins Darius revolutionized the economy by placing it on a silver and gold coinage system. Trade was extensive, and under the Achaemenids there was an efficient infrastructure that facilitated the exchange of commodities in the far reaches of the empire. Tariffs on trade were one of the empire's main sources of revenue, along with agriculture and tribute. Culture Behistun Inscription, column 1 DB I 1-15 Behistun Inscription, column 1 DB I 1-15 The Achaemenid Empire, which at the height of its glory had more than 20 nations under its control, was built on the most basic principles - that of truth and justice, which formed the bases of the Achaemenid culture. Based on the Zoroastrian doctrine, it was the strong emphasis on honesty and integrity that gave the ancient Persians credibility to rule the world, even in the eyes of the people belonging to the conquered nations. Herodotus in his mid-5th century BCE account of Persian residents of the Pontus recorded that the most disgraceful thing in the world the Perses think, is to tell a lie; the next worst, to owe a debt: because, among other reasons, the debtor is obliged to tell lies. Herodotus also reports that Persian youths, from their fifth year to their twentieth year, were instructed in three things - to ride a horse, to draw a bow, and to speak the Truth. Truth for the sake of truth, was the universal motto and the very core of the Achaemenid culture that was followed not only by the great kings, but even the ordinary Persians, who made it a point to adhere to this code of conduct. In Achaemenid Iran, the lie, druj, is considered to be a cardinal sin, and it was punishable by death in some extreme cases. Tablets discovered by archaeologists in 1930s6 at the site of Persepolis give us adequate evidence about the love and veneration for the culture of truth during the Achaemenian period. These tablets contain the names of ordinary Iranians, mainly traders and warehouse-keepers.7 According to Professor Stanley Insler of Yale University, as many as 72 names of officials and petty clerks found on these tablets contain the word truth.8 Thus, says Insler, we have Artapana, protector of truth, Artakama, lover of truth, Artamanah, truth-minded, Artafarnah, possessing splendour of truth, Artazusta, delighting in truth, Artastuna, pillar of truth, Artafrida, prospering the truth and Artahunara, having nobility of truth. It was Darius the Great, who laid down the ordinance of good regulations during his reign. King Darius' testimony about his constant battle against the lie is found in cuneiform inscriptions. Carved high up in the Behistun mountain on the road to Kermanshah, Darius testifies: Silver rhytons such as this were ubiquitous and used as a drinking vessels in Persia, underscoring the eclectic taste of the Achaemenids; the fanciful beast that forms its base is both mammal and bird Silver rhytons such as this were ubiquitous and used as a drinking vessels in Persia, underscoring the eclectic taste of the Achaemenids; the fanciful beast that forms its base is both mammal and bird I was not a lie-follower, I was not a doer of wrong ... According to righteousness I conducted myself. Neither to the weak or to the powerful did I do wrong. The man who cooperated with my house, him I rewarded well; who so did injury, him I punished well. Darius had his hands full dealing with large-scale rebellion which broke out throughout the empire. After fighting successfully with nine traitors in a year, Darius records his battles against them for posterity and tells us how it was the lie that made them rebel against the empire. At Behistun, Darius says: I smote them and took prisoner nine kings. One was Gaumata by name, a Magian; he lied; thus he said: I am Smerdis, the son of Cyrus...One, Acina by name, an Elamite; he lied; thus he said: I am king in Elam... One, Nidintu-Bel by name, a Babylonian; he lied; thus he said: I am Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabonidus. King Darius then tells us, The Lie made them rebellious, so that these men deceived the people.9 Then an advice to his son Xerxes, who is to succeed him as the great king: Thou who shalt be king hereafter, protect yourself vigorously from the Lie; the man who shall be a lie-follower, him do thou punish well, if thus thou shall think. May my country be secure! Language During the reign of Cyrus and Darius, and as long as the seat of government was still at Susa in Elam, the language of the Achaemenid chancellory was Elamite. This is primarily attested in the Persepolis fortification and treasury tablets that reveal details of the day-to-day functioning of the empire.7 In the grand rock-face inscriptions of the kings, the Elamite texts are always accompanied by Akkadian and Old Persian inscriptions, and it appears that in these cases, the Elamite texts are translations of the Old Persian ones. It is then likely that although Elamite was used by the capital government in Susa, it was not a standardized language of government everywhere in the empire. The use of Elamite is not attested after 458 BC. Following the conquest of Mesopotamia, the Aramaic language as used in that territory was adopted as the vehicle for written communication between the different regions of the vast empire with its different peoples and languages. The use of a single official language, which modern scholarship has dubbed Official Aramaic or Imperial Aramaic, can be assumed to have greatly contributed to the astonishing success of the Achaemenids in holding their far-flung empire together for as long as they did.10 In 1955, Richard Frye questioned the classification of Imperial Aramaic as an official language, noting that no surviving edict expressly and unambiguously accorded that status to any particular language.11 Frye reclassifies Imperial Aramaic as the lingua franca of the Achaemenid territories, suggesting then that the Achaemenid-era use of Aramaic was more pervasive than generally thought. Many centuries after the fall of the empire, Aramaic script and - as ideograms - Aramaic vocabulary would survive as the essential characteristics of the Pahlavi writing system.12 Although Old Persian also appears on some seals and art objects, that language is attested primarily in the Achaemenid inscriptions of Western Iran, suggesting then that Old Persian was the common language of that region. However, by the reign of Artaxerxes II, the grammar and orthography of the inscriptions was so far from perfect13 that it has been suggested that the scribes who composed those texts had already largely forgotten the language, and had to rely on older inscriptions, which they to a great extent reproduced verbatim.14 Customs Herodotus mentions that the Persians were given to great birthday feasts, which would be followed by many desserts, a treat which they reproached the Greeks for omitting from their meals. Likewise, he observed that the Persians drank wine in large quantities and used it even for counsel, deliberating on important affairs when drunk, and deciding the next day, when sober, whether to act on the decision or set it aside. On their methods of greeting, he asserts that equals kissed on the lips, persons of some difference in rank kissed on the cheek, and the lowest ranks would prostrate on the ground to the upper ranks. It is known that men of high rank practiced polygamy, and were reputed to have a number of wives and a greater number of concubines. On their same-sex relations, high ranked men kept favorites, such as Bagoas who was one of Darius III's favorites and who later became Alexander's eromenos. Persian pederasty and its origins were debated even in ancient times. Herodotus claimed they had learned it from the Greeks,15 however, Plutarch asserts that the Persians used eunuch boys to that end long before contact between the cultures.16 Also from Herodotus we learn that the Persians had a very high regard for truth, teaching the respect of truth to their children and despising nothing so much as a lie. On the education of the children, we learn that from the age of five until twenty they were taught to ride, shoot the bow, and speak the truth. Until the age of five children spent all their time among the women and never met the father, so that, should they die in infancy, he would not sorrow over their loss. Herodotus, The History, passim Religion Ancient bracelet, Achaemenid period, 500 BCE, Iran Ancient bracelet, Achaemenid period, 500 BCE, Iran It was during the Achaemenid period that Zoroastrianism reached South-Western Iran, where it came to be accepted by the rulers and through them became a defining element of Persian culture. The religion was not only accompanied by a formalization of the concepts and divinities of the traditional Indo-Iranian pantheon but also introduced several novel ideas, including that of free will, which arguably, is Zoroaster's greatest contribution to religious philosophy. Under the patronage of the Achaemenid kings, and by the fifth century BCE as the de-facto religion of the state, Zoroastrianism would reach all corners of the empire. For in the mid-fifth century BCE, that is, during the reign of Artaxerxes I and Darius II, Herodotus wrote the Perses have no images of the gods, no temples nor altars, and consider the use of them a sign of folly. This comes, I think, from their not believing the gods to have the same nature with men, as the Greeks imagine. He claims the Persians offer sacrifice to: the sun and moon, to the earth, to fire, to water, and to the winds. These are the only gods whose worship has come down to them from ancient times. At a later period they began the worship of Urania, which they borrowed from the Arabians and Assyrians. Mylitta is the name by which the Assyrians know this goddess, whom the Arabians call Alitta, and the Persians Anahita. The original name here is Miθra, which has since been explained to be a confusion of Anahita with Mithra, understandable since they were commonly worshipped together in one temple. From the Babylonian scholar-priest Berosus, who-although writing over seventy years after the reign of Artaxerxes II Mnemon-records that the emperor had been the first to make cult statues of divinities and have them placed in temples in many of the major cities of the empire Berosus, III.65. Berosus also substantiates Herodotus when he says the Persians knew of no images of gods until Artaxerxes II erected those images. On the means of sacrifice, Herodotus adds they raise no altar, light no fire, pour no libations. This sentence has been interpreted to identify a critical but later accretion to Zoroastrianism. An altar with a wood-burning fire and the Yasna service at which libations are poured are all clearly identifiable with modern Zoroastrianism, but apparently, were practices that had not yet developed in the mid-fifth century. Boyce also assigns that development to the reign of Artaxerxes II fourth century BCE, as an orthodox response to the innovation of the shrine cults. Herodotus also observed that no prayer or offering can be made without a magus present but this should not be confused with what is today understood by the term magus, that is a magupat modern Persian: mobed, a Zoroastrian priest. Nor does Herodotus' description of the term as one of the tribes or castes of the Medes necessarily imply that these magi were Medians. They simply were a herary priesthood to be found all over Western Iran and although originally not associated with any one specific religion, they were traditionally responsible for all ritual and religious services. Although the unequivocal identification of the magus with Zoroastrianism came later Sassanid era, third-seventh c. AD, it is from Herodotus' magus of the mid-fifth century that Zoroastrianism was subject to doctrinal modifications that are today considered to be revocations of the original teachings of the prophet. Also, many of the ritual practices described in the Avesta's Vendidad such as exposure of the dead were already practiced by the magu of Herodotus ' time. Art and architecture Golden Rhyton exacavated at Ecbatana; kept at National Museum of Iran Golden Rhyton exacavated at Ecbatana; kept at National Museum of Iran Achaemenid art, like Achaemenid religion, was a blend of many elements. Just as the Achaemenids were tolerant in matters of local government and custom, as long as Persians controlled the general policy and administration of the empire, so also were they tolerant in art so long as the finished and total effect was Persian. At Pasargadae PÄ?sargad, the capital of Cyrus II and Cambyses II, and at Persepolis, the neighboring city founded by Darius the Great and used by all of his successors, one can trace to a foreign origin almost all of the several details in the construction and embellishment of the architecture and the sculptured reliefs; but the conception, planning, and overall finished product are distinctly Persian. Moreover, when Cyrus chose to build Pasargadae, he had a long artistic tradition behind him that probably was distinctly Iranian already and that was in many ways the equal of any. The columned hall in architecture can now be seen as belonging to an architectural tradition on the Iranian Plateau that extended back through the Median period to at least the beginning of the first millennium BC. The rich Achaemenid gold work, which inscriptions suggest may have been a specialty of the Medes, was in the tradition of the delicate metalwork found in Iron Age II times at Hasanlu and still earlier at Marlik. Image of a lioness used as a pendant, late sixth-fourth centuries BC, from Susa - Department of Oriental Antiquities, Sully Image of a lioness used as a pendant, late sixth-fourth centuries BC, from Susa - Department of Oriental Antiquities, Sully This Achaemenid artistic style is particularly evident at Persepolis: with its carefully proportioned and well-organized ground plan, rich architectural ornament, and magnificent decorative reliefs, the palace there is one of the great artistic legacies of the ancient world. In its art and architecture, Persepolis celebrates the king and the office of the monarch and reflected Darius' perception of himself as the leader of a conglomerate people to whom he had given a new and single identity. The Achaemenids took the art forms and the cultural and religious traditions of many of the ancient Middle Eastern peoples and combined them into a single form. In describing the construction of his palace at Susa, Darius records that The cedar timber from there a mountain by name Lebanon was brought, the yaka timber was brought from Gandara and from Carmania. The gold was brought from Sardis and from Bactria . . . the precious stone lapis-lazuli and carnelian . . . was brought from Sogdiana. The turquoise from Chorasmia, the silver and ebony from Egypt, the ornamentation from Ionia, the ivory from Ethiopia and from SindPakistan and from Arachosia. The stone-cutters who wrought the stone, those were Ionians and Sardians. The goldsmiths were Medes and Egyptians. The men who wrought the wood, those were Sardians and Egyptians. The men who wrought the baked brick, those were Babylonians. The men who adorned the wall, those were Medes and Egyptians. This was an imperial art on a scale the world had not seen before. Materials and artists were drawn from all the lands ruled by the great kings, and thus tastes, styles, and motifs became mixed together in an eclectic art and architecture that in itself mirrored the empire and the Achaemenid understanding of how that empire ought to function. Achaemenid kings and leaders Unattested The epigraphic evidence for these rulers cannot be confirmed and are often considered to have been invented by Darius I Achaemenes of Persia Ariaramnes of Persia, son of Teispes and co-ruler with Cyrus I Arsames of Persia, son of Ariaramnes and co-ruler with Cambyses I Attested Teispes of Anshan, son of Achaemenes Cyrus I of Anshan, son of Teispes Cambyses I of Anshan, son of Cyrus I Cyrus II, the Great, son of Cambyses I, ruled from c.550-530 BCE ruler of Anshan c. 559 BCE - conquered Media 550 BCE Cambyses II, son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 529-522 BCE Smerdis Bardiya, alleged son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 522 BCE Possibly a usurper Darius I, the Great, brother-in-law of Smerdis and grandson of Arsames, ruled 521-486 BCE Xerxes I, son of Darius I, ruled 485-465 BCE Artaxerxes I Longimanus, son of Xerxes I, ruled 465-424 BCE Xerxes II, son of Artaxerxes I, ruled 424 BCE Sogdianus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes II, ruled 424-423 BCE Darius II Nothus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes II, ruled 423-405 BCE Artaxerxes II Mnemon, son of Darius II, ruled 404-359 BCE see also Xenophon Artaxerxes III Ochus, son of Artaxerxes II, ruled 358-338 BCE Artaxerxes IV Arses, son of Artaxerxes III, ruled 338-336 BCE Darius III Codomannus, great-grandson of Darius II, ruled 336-330 BCE Notes ^ Vexilloid of |the Achaemenid Empire: ^ http://www.geocities.com/rooyintan/Flags_Persia.html Flags |of Persian History: ^ Chr. Walker, Achaemenid Chronology and the Babylonian Sources, in: John Curtis ed., Mesopotamia and Iran in the Persian Period: Conquest and Imperialism, 539-331 BCE London 1997, page 22. ^ M. Dandamayev, Foreign Slaves on the Estates of the Achaemenid Kings and their Nobles, in Trudy dvadtsat' pyatogo mezhdunarodnogo kongressa vostokovedov II, Moscow, 1963, pp. 151--52 ^ Volume 2 ^ Garrison, Mark B. and Root, Margaret C. 2001. Seals on the Persepolis Fortification Tablets, Volume 1. Images of Heroic Encounter OIP 117. Chicago: Online Oriental Institute Publications. Retrieved on 2007-01-09. ^ a b Dandamayev, Muhammad 2003. Persepolis Elamite Tablets. Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-01-09. ^ Insler, Stanley 1975. The Love of Truth in Ancient Iran. Retrieved on 2007-01-09. In Insler, Stanley; Duchesne-Guillemin, J. ed. 1975. The GÄ?thÄ?s of Zarathustra Acta Iranica 8. Liege: Brill. . ^ Darius, Behishtan DB, Column 1. From Kent, Roland G. 1953. Old Persian: Grammar, texts, lexicon. New Haven: American Oriental Society. ^ Shaked, Saul 1987. Aramaic. Encyclopedia Iranica 2. New York: Routledge Kegan Paul. 250-261. p. 251 ^ Frye, Richard N. 1955. Review of G. R. Driver's Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B. C.. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 18 3/4: 456-461. doi:10.2307/2718444. p. 457. ^ Geiger, Wilhelm Ernst Kuhn 2002. Grundriss der iranischen Philologie: Band I. Abteilung 1. Boston: Adamant. pp. 249ff. ^ Ware, James R. and Kent, Roland G. 1924. The Old Persian Cuniform Inscriptions of Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 55: 52-61. doi:10.2307/283007. p. 53 ^ Gershevitch, Ilya 1964. Zoroaster's own contribution. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 23 1: 12-38. doi:10.1086/371754. p. 20. ^ Herodotus. Histories. ...moreover they adopt all kinds of luxuries when they hear of them, and in particular they have learnt from the Hellenes to have commerce with boys... ^ Plutarch. On the Malice of Herodotus. The same Herodotus says that the Persians learned the defiling of the male sex from the Greeks. And yet how could the Greeks have taught this impurity to the Persians, amongst whom, as is confessed by many, boys had been castrated before ever they arrived in the Grecian seas? See also Ancient history This box: view talk ↑ Prehistory Ancient Near East Sumer · Akkad · Egypt · Babylonia · Hittite Empire · Syro-Hittite states · Neo-Assyrian Empire · Urartu Classical Antiquity Archaic Greece · Achaemenid Empire · Classical Greece · Thrace · Scythia · Macedon · Hellenism · Roman Republic · Roman Empire · Parthia · Sassanid Empire · Late Antiquity East Asia Shang China · Qin Dynasty · Jin Dynasty South Asia Vedic India · Mahajanapadas · Mauryan India · Gupta India Pre-Columbian Americas prehistory Mayas · Olmecs see also: World history · Ancient maritime history · Axial Age · Iron Age · Historiography · Ancient literature · Ancient warfare · Cradle of civilization ↓Middle Ages Persian Empire Cyrus the Great, Founder of Achaemenid dynasty and King of Persia. Darius I the Great, King of Persia. Esther, Queen of Persia Persepolis, One of the greatest monuments of Achaemenid dynasty. List of kings of Persia Pharaoh Sassanid Empire The Achaemenid Royal Road Kamboja Kambojas Kamboja Location Language and ethnicity of Kambojas Epic Kamboja, Iranian Kambujiya References Stronach, David Darius at Pasargadae: A Neglected Source for the History of Early Persia, Topoi Stronach, David Anshan and Parsa: Early Achaemenid History, Art and Architecture on the Iranian Plateau. In: John Curtis, ed., Mesopotamia and Iran in the Persian Period: Conquest and Imperialism 539-331, 35-53. London: British Museum Press 1997. Further reading Wiesehöfer, Josef; Azizeh Azodi translator 2001. Ancient Persia: 550 BC to 650 AD. London, New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1860646751. There have been a number of ions since 1996. Curtis, John E.; Nigel Tallis ors 2005. Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0520247310. A collection of articles by different authors. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, Pierre Briant, Eisenbrauns: 2002, ISBN 978-1-57506-0310 The Greco-Persian Wars, Peter Green The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC, Philip De Souza The Heritage of Persia, Richard N. Frye History of the Persian Empire, A.T. Olmstead The Persian Empire, Lindsay Allen The Persian Empire, J.M. Cook Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, Tom Holland Pictorial History of Iran: Ancient Persia Before Islam 15000 B.C.-625 A.D., Amini Sam Timelife Persians: Masters of the Empire Lost Civilizations Dandamaev, M.A. A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 1989 ISBN 90-04-09172-6. Hallock, R., Persepolis Fortification Tablets External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Achaemenid dynasty Iran, The Forgotten Glory - Documentary Film About Ancient Iran achaemenids Sassanids Achemenet The major electronic resource for the study of the history, literature and archaeology of the Persian Empire Persepolis Before Incursion Virtual tour project Musée achéménide virtuel et interactif Mavi a vast Virtual Interactive Achemenide Museum of more than 8000 items, dedicated to the inheritance of the Persian Empire, from Cyrus to Alexander the Great, is now accessible on the Internet thanks to the initiative of a College de France professor, Pierre Briant. Livius.org on Achaemenids Livius.org on Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions Cyrus' Charter of Human Rights Achaemenid art on Iran Chamber Society www.iranchamber.com Persepolis Fortification Archive Project Photos of the tribute bearers from the 23 satrapies of the Achaemenid empire, from Persepolis v d e History of Anatolia v d e A History of Empires Ancient empires Akkadian Empire · Ancient Egypt · Neo-Assyrian Empire · Hittite Empire · Achaemenid Persian Empire · Athenian Empire · Macedonian Empire Ptolemaic Empire · Seleucid Empire · Carthaginian Empire · Maurya Indian Empire · Gupta Indian Empire · Qin Chinese Empire · Han Chinese Empire · Roman Empire Western Roman Empire · Eastern Roman Empire · Sassanid Persian Empire Medieval empires Byzantine Empire · Hunnic Empire · Arab Empire Rashidun Empire · Umayyad Empire · Abbasid Empire · Fatimid Empire · Almohad Empire · Ghaznavid Empire · Great Seljuq Empire · Khwarezmian Empire · Timurid Empire · Chola Indian Empire · Mongol Empire · Bulgarian Empire · Carolingian Empire · Holy Roman Empire · Angevin Empire · Mali Empire · Tang Chinese Empire · Song Chinese Empire · Yuan Chinese Empire Modern empires Mughal Indian Empire · Ming Chinese Empire · Ottoman Empire · Safavid Persian Empire · Portuguese Empire · Spanish Empire · Iberian Union Empire · Dutch Empire · British Empire · French Napoleonic Empire · French Colonial Empire · German Empire · German Colonial Empire · Russian Empire · Swedish Empire · Austro-Hungarian Empire · Brazilian Empire Retrieved from http://en..org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire Categories: History of Afghanistan | History of Pakistan | Iron Age | Zoroastrian history | Empires and kingdoms of India | 559 BC establishments | 330 BC disestablishments | Achaemenid EmpireHidden categories: All articles with statements | Articles with statements since October 2007 Views Article Discussion this page History Personal tools Log in / create account Navigation Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Search Go Search Interaction Community portal Recent changes Contact Donate to Help Toolbox What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Printable version Permanent link Cite this page Languages العربية Bosanski Català Česky Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Ù?ارسی Français í•œêµì–´ Õ€Õ¡ÕµÕ¥Ö€Õ¥Õ¶ Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქáƒ?რთული Lietuvių Magyar मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands ‪Norsk bokmÃ¥l‬ Polski Português РуÑ?Ñ?кий SlovenÄ?ina SlovenÅ¡Ä?ina СрпÑ?ки / Srpski Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt Türkçe ä¸æ–‡ This page was last modified on 15 August 2008, at 13:59
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