Reference
- PersiaOne of the major empires that competed with Egypt in the Late Period (712-332 B.C.E.), the Persian Empire was vast and well controlled, despite the rising power of the Greeks and the dominance of the Medes in the Persian homeland. Cyrus the Great forged the true Persian Empire ca. 550 B.C.E.
The original Persians, members of the Indo-Europeans, were evident on the western Iranian plateau by 850 B.C.E. They were a nomadic people who claimed the name Parsa. By 600 B.C.E., they were on the southwestern Iranian plateau, dominated by the native Medes. The original capital of the Persians was Susa.
By 500 B.C.E., the Persian Empire extended from modern Pakistan in the Indus Valley to Thrace in the west and to Egypt in the south. The Persians ruled 1 million square miles of the earth at the height of their power. The raids of Darius I (r. 521-486 B.C.E.) into Thrace and Macedonia aroused a response that would result in the empire's destruction two centuries later. Alexander III the Great would bring about Persia's downfall in 332 B.C.E.
The first Persian to rule Egypt was Cambyses (r. 525-522 B.C.E.), who opened the Twenty-seventh Dynasty on the Nile. Cambyses was followed on the Persian throne by Darius I, Xerxes I (r. 486-446 B.C.E.), Artaxerxes I (r. 465-424 B.C.E.), and Darius II (r. 423-405 B.C.E.).
The Persians returned to rule as the Thirty-first Dynasty, or the Second Persian Period, in 343 B.C.E. This royal line, as were their predecessors, was plagued by profound internal problems in their homeland, with many emperors being slain. The rulers of Egypt during the Thirty-first Dynasty were Artaxerxes III Ochus (r. 343-338 B.C.E.), Artaxerxes IV Arses (r. 338-336 B.C.E.), and Darius III Codoman (335-332 B.C.E.).
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Credo Reference is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
Perspectives
Ancient Persia
This second edition to the art, archaeology and history of Ancient Persia, includes new discoveries and ideas and corrects errors from the first edition. This concise introduction to the subject continues to form a guide to the collection of the British Museum whilst also commenting extensively on the Ancient Persian communities from 6000BC to the 7th century AD.
The Policy of Darius and Xerxes Towards Thrace and Macedonia
In The Policy of Darius and Xerxes towards Thrace and Macedonia Miroslav Vasilev analyses in detail the policy of the Persian kings towards their European possessions in the years 514-465 BC.
Persia and the Bible
An analysis of the peoples, rulers, and cities of Persia and the role they played in Old Testament history. Packed with illustrations and more than 100 photographs.
Ancient Persia
Of all the great civilizations of the ancient world, that of Persia is one of the least understood. Josef Wiesehöfer, one of the most respected scholars of the ancient world, provides here a comprehensive survey of the Persian Empire under Achaeminids, the Parthians and the Sassanians. By focusing on the primary Persian sources--written, archaeological and numismatic evidence from Persia--he avoids the traditional Western approach which has tended to rely so heavily on inaccurate and sometimes prejudiced Greek and Roman sources. Part of the freshness of this book comes from presenting a historical discussion of Persia from a Near Eastern perspective. A comprehensive social, political and cultural history of ancient Persia, Wiesehöfer's book provides important new material for specialists while being fully accessible and appealing to general readers interested in the ancient world.
At The Court Of The King Of Kings
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Take a virtual reality tour of one of history's most intriguing ancient civilizations. Tour the grand residences at Persepolis and the sumptuous imperial palaces of the powerful Darius I at the height of Persian civilization.
The Ancient City of Persepolis
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowTurn to the Persian Empire, one of the grandest civilizations in the ancient world. Survey the history of Persia from King Cyrus to Alexander the Great, then study the city of Persepolis. Its construction, its palaces, and its many relief sculptures all showed the breadth and power of the king.
End of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowFinally, arrive at the end of the independence of Mesopotamia with the conquest of the Neo-Babylonian empire by the forces of the powerful Persian king, Cyrus the Great. Witness religious changes that were taking place across the Near East. Mesopotamian culture gradually died out, but it left an incredible legacy.
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- Cambyses(kămbī'sēz), two kings of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. Cambyses I was king (c.600 B.C.) of Ansham, ruling as a vassal of Media...
- CYRUS THE GREATTexts sing with endless praise of the accomplishments of Cyrus, king of Persia. One would think, therefore, that there would be few unrecorded aspects of his life...
- Darius I(Darius the Great)(dӘrī'Әs), d. 486 B.C., king of ancient Persia (521–486 B.C.), called also Dariavaush and Darius Hystaspis (after his father, Hystaspes or Vishtaspa). A distant cousin of Cambyses II (see under Cambyses), he succeeded to the throne after the fall of the impostor claiming to be Smerdis...
- Median EmpireMuch contention surrounds the question of whether the Median “empire” ever existed as a political and military force or whether it was simply the invention of Greek historiography that was routinely written into Western scholarship thereafter...
- Persepolis(pӘrsĕp'Әlĭs) [Gr.,=city of Persia], ancient city of Persia, ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid empire under Darius I and his successors. The administrative capitals were elsewhere, notably at Susa and Babylon.
Dynasty XXVII - The Persians
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowThe Greek traveler Herodotus gives three different reasons Persia invaded Egypt. How do his accounts compare with Egyptian records? How did Egypt express its unbending will to be free under this latest group of foreign rulers?