The Persian power had a huge impact on the history of the Ancient World. The Achaemenid state, formed by a small tribal union, lasted about two hundred years. Mention of the splendor and power of the country of the Persians is in many ancient sources, including the Bible.
Start
The first mention of the Persians is found in Assyrian sources. In the inscription dated IX in BC. e., contains the name of the land of Parsua. Geographically, this region was located in the Central Zagros region, and during the mentioned period the population of this region paid tribute to the Assyrians. The union of the tribes did not yet exist. The Assyrians mention 27 kingdoms controlled by them. In the VII century. the Persians, apparently, entered into a tribal union, since in the sources there were references to kings from the Achaemenid tribe. The history of the Persian state begins in 646 BC, when Cyrus I became the ruler of the Persians.
During the reign of Cyrus I, the Persians significantly expanded the territories under their control, including taking possession of most of the Iranian plateau. At the same time, the first capital of the Persian state, the city of Pasargada, was founded. Some of the Persians were engaged in agriculture, some led a
nomadic lifestyle.
The emergence of the Persian state
At the end of the VI century. BC e. The Persian people ruled Cambyses I, who was dependent on the kings of Media. The son of Cambyses, Cyrus II, became the lord of the settled Persians. Information about the ancient Persian people is scarce and fragmentary. Apparently, the patriarchal family was the main unit of society, at the head was a man who had the right to manage the life and property of his loved ones. The community, first tribal, and later rural, for several centuries was a powerful force. Several communities formed a tribe, several tribes could already be called a people.
The emergence of the Persian Empire occurred at a time when the entire Middle East was divided between four states: Egypt, Media, Lydia, Babylonia.
Even in its heyday, Mead was in fact a fragile tribal alliance. Thanks to the victories of King Kiaksar of Medes, the state of Urartu and the ancient country of Elam were subjugated. The descendants of Chiaxar could not hold on to the conquests of their great ancestor. The constant war with Babylon required the presence of troops on the border. This weakened the internal politics of the Medes, which the vassals of the Medean king took advantage of.
The reign of Cyrus II
In 553, Cyrus II rebelled against the Medes, to whom the Persians paid tribute for several centuries. The war lasted three years and ended in a crushing defeat of the Medes. The capital of Mussel (Ektabany) became one of the residences of the ruler of the Persians. Having conquered the ancient country, Cyrus II formally retained the kingdom of Media and took upon himself the titles of the Median rulers. Thus began the formation of the Persian state.
After the capture of Media, Persia declared itself as a new state in world history, and for two centuries played an important role in the events taking place in the Middle East. In 549-548 the newly formed state conquered Elam and subjugated a number of countries that were part of the former Median state. Parthia, Armenia, Hyrcania began to pay tribute to the new Persian rulers.
War with Lydia
Croesus, the ruler of the powerful Lydia, realized how dangerous the enemy is the Persian state. A number of alliances were concluded with Egypt and Sparta. However, the Allies failed to start full-scale hostilities. Croesus did not want to wait for help and stood alone against the Persians. In a decisive battle near the capital of Lydia - the city of Sardis, Croesus brought his cavalry to the battlefield, which was considered invincible. Cyrus II put the soldiers on horseback on camels. Horses, seeing unknown animals, refused to obey the riders, the Lydian riders were forced to fight on foot. The unequal battle ended with the retreat of the Lydians, after which Mr. Sardis was besieged by the Persians. Of the former allies, only the Spartans decided to come to Croesus's aid. But, while preparing the campaign, Mr. Sardis fell, and the Persians subjugated Lydia.
Expanding borders
Then came the turn of the Greek policies that were located in Asia Minor. After a series of major victories and the suppression of rebellion, the Persians subjugated the policies, thereby gaining the ability to use Greek ships in battles .
At the end of the VI century, the Persian Empire expanded its borders to the northwestern regions of India, to the Hindu Kush cordons and subjugated the tribes living in the river basin. Syr Darya. Only after the strengthening of borders, the suppression of rebellion and the establishment of tsarist power, Cyrus II drew attention to the powerful Babylonia. October 20, 539 the city fell, and Cyrus II became the official ruler of Babylon, and at the same time, the ruler of one of the largest powers of the Ancient World - the Persian kingdom.
Board of Cambyses
Cyrus died in the battle with the Massagets in 530 BC. e. His policy was successfully pursued by the son of Cambyses. After thorough preliminary diplomatic training, Egypt, another opponent of Persia, was completely alone and could not count on the support of the allies. Cambyses carried out the plan of his father and conquered Egypt in 522 BC. e. Meanwhile, discontent was ripening in Persia itself and a rebellion broke out. Cambyses hastened to his homeland and died on the road under mysterious circumstances. After some time, the ancient Persian power provided the opportunity to gain power to the representative of the younger branch of the Achaemenids - Darius Gistaspu.
The beginning of the reign of Darius
The seizure of power by Darius I caused discontent and grumble in the enslaved Babylonia. The rebel leader declared himself the son of the last Babylonian ruler and became known as Nebuchadnezzar III. In December 522 BC e. Darius I won. The rebel leaders were put to public execution.
Punitive actions distracted Darius, and in the meantime, rebellions rose in Media, Elam, Parthia and other areas. It took the new ruler more than a year to pacify the country and restore the state of Cyrus II and Cambyses within their former borders.
Between 518 and 512 years, the Persian Empire conquered Macedonia, Thrace, and part of India. This time is considered the heyday of the ancient kingdom of the Persians. A world state united under its authority dozens of countries and hundreds of tribes and peoples.
The social structure of Ancient Persia. Reforms of Darius
The Persian state of the Achaemenids was distinguished by a wide variety of social systems and customs. Babylon, Syria, Egypt long before Persia were considered highly developed states, and the recently conquered tribes of nomads of Scythian and Arab origin were still at the stage of primitive way of life.
The chain of revolts 522-520 years. showed the inefficiency of the previous government. Therefore, Darius I carried out a number of administrative reforms and created a stable system of state control over the conquered peoples. The result of the reforms was the first-ever effective administrative system that served the rulers of the Achaemenids for more than one generation.
An effective managerial apparatus is a clear example of how Darius ruled the Persian power. The country was divided into administrative-tax districts, which were called satrapies. The sizes of satrapies were much larger than the territories of early states, and in some cases coincided with the ethnographic borders of ancient peoples. For example, satrapia Egypt almost completely coincided with the borders of this state until its conquest by the Persians. The districts were led by state officials - satraps. Unlike the predecessors, who were looking for their governors among the nobility of the conquered peoples, Darius I put on these posts exclusively nobles of Persian descent.
Viceroy Functions
Previously, the viceroy combined both administrative and civil functions. The satrap of the times of Darius had only civil powers, the military authorities did not obey him. The satraps had the right to mint coins, were in charge of the country's economic activities, tax collection, and adjudicated. In peacetime, the satraps were provided with a small personal guard. The army, on the other hand, was subordinate exclusively to military leaders independent of satraps.
The implementation of state reforms has led to the creation of a large central administrative apparatus led by the imperial chancellery. Public administration was led by the capital of the Persian state - the city of Susa. The large cities of that time Babylon, Ectabana, Memphis also had their own offices.
Satraps and officials were under the vigilant control of the secret police. In ancient sources, it was called "the ears and eye of the king." The control and supervision of officials was entrusted to Hazarapat, the commander of the thousand. State correspondence was conducted in Aramaic, which was owned by almost all the peoples of Persia.
Persian Power Culture
Ancient Persia left its descendants a great architectural heritage. The magnificent palace complexes in Susa, Persepolis and Pasargada made a stunning impression on contemporaries. Royal estates were surrounded by gardens and parks. One of the monuments that have survived to this day is the tomb of Cyrus II. Many similar monuments that arose hundreds of years later took as a basis the architecture of the tomb of the Persian king. The culture of the Persian Empire contributed to the glorification of the king and the strengthening of royal power among the conquered peoples.
The art of ancient Persia combined the artistic traditions of Iranian tribes, interwoven with elements of Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian cultures. Among the objects that have reached descendants, there are many ornaments, bowls and vases, various cups decorated with exquisite paintings. A special place in the finds is occupied by numerous seals with images of kings and heroes, as well as various animals and fantastic creatures.
The economic development of Persia from the time of Darius
A special position in the Persian kingdom was occupied by the nobility. Nobles owned large land holdings in all conquered territories. Huge sections came at the disposal of the "benefactors" of the king for personal merits before him. The owners of such lands had the right to administer, transfer allotments to their descendants, and they also had the exercise of judicial power over subjects. The land use system was widely used, in which the plots were called allotments of horses, onions, chariots, etc. The king distributed these lands to his soldiers, for this their owners had to serve in the army as horsemen, archers, chariots.
But still huge tracts of land were in the direct possession of the king himself. They usually rented out. As a payment for them, agricultural and livestock products were taken.
In addition to land, channels were located in direct royal power. The managers of the royal property rented them and collected them for water use. Irrigation of fertile soils was charged at 1/3 of the landowner's harvest.
Persian Labor
Slave labor was used in all sectors of the economy. Most of them were usually prisoners of war. Collateral slavery, when people sold themselves, did not spread. Slaves had a number of privileges, for example, the right to have their own seals and participate in various transactions as full partners. A slave could redeem himself by paying a certain quitrent, and also be a plaintiff, witness or defendant in legal proceedings, of course, not against his masters. The practice of attracting hired workers for a certain amount of money was widespread. The labor of such workers was especially prevalent in Babylonia, where they dug canals, built roads and harvested crops from royal or temple fields.
Financial Policy Darius
The main source of revenue for the treasury was taxes. In 519, the king approved the basic system of state taxes. The taxes were calculated for each satrapy, taking into account its territory and the fertility of the land. The Persians, as a conquering people, did not pay the money, but were not exempted from the natural tax.
Various monetary units, which continued to exist even after the unification of the country, brought a lot of inconvenience, therefore, in 517 BC. e. the king introduced a new gold coin, darik. The medium of exchange was the silver shekel, which cost 1/20 darik and served as a bargaining chip in those days. On the reverse of both coins was an image of Darius I.
Persian Power Highways
The expansion of the road network has facilitated the development of trade between the various satrapies. The royal road of the Persian Empire began in Lydia, crossed Asia Minor and passed through Babylon, and from there to Susa and Persepolis. The seaways laid by the Greeks were successfully used by the Persians in trade and for the transfer of military force.
Also known are sea expeditions of the ancient Persians, for example, the voyage of the sailor Skilak to the Indian shores in 518 BC. e.