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Persian Empire
At different times, under different ruling families, there were several different Persian Empires. Usually, the term refers to the Achaemenid dynasty empire founded by Cyrus the Great (559BC - 530BC) which was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great. To rule such a large empire, new groundbreaking systems were set up which influenced all who came after.
2,471 Questions
What are seven countries that border the Persian Empire?
'Countries' as we understand them today did not exist - there were city-states, tribal areas and petty-kingdoms.
One petty kingdom was Macedonia. There were the Greek city-states of mainland Greece which had not been incorporated into the Persian Empire such as Thebes, Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Elis etc. In the east were the several states in India and China. To the north were the various tribes of Scythia, and to the south of the Libya-Egypt province of the Empire was the kingdom of Nubia.
What early advantage did the Persian Empire have over the Greeks in weaponry?
The Persian Empire had an advanced military system. In their early conflicts with the Greeks, the Persians had developed a powerful bow that could shoot arrows over several hundred yards with great efficiency.
What was the name of the Greek that conquered the Persian Empire?
Alexander the Great of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia in the northern Greek peninsula.
Did the Persian empire persecute the Jews and destroy the temples during king Cyrus ruling?
General Answer
No. Cyrus was alleged to have given the Hebrews exiled in Babylon the option of returning to Judah, which some did, the remainder opting to stay in the comfort of Babylon.
It was King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon destroyed the Jewish Temple 70 years earlier. He also deported the majority of the Jewish aristocracy to Babylon during this period. Some have interpreted this a persecution since one ethnicity acted against the interests of a weaker ethnicity under its control. Others see it as a typical post-war maneuver in the Ancient Period that was practiced by the Babylonians and other Middle Eastern societies on numerous occasions to defeated enemies.
Views on the term "Persecuted"
View 1: The Term "Persecuted" is Inappropriate
The phrase 'persecuted' not appropriate, being more propaganda than fact. When Babylon took over Judah, it deported the upper class back to Babylon and imported a new foreign ruling class to Judah to keep the remaining population quiet. This was usual practice with conquering powers - it had already happened in Israel in the north when it was taken over by Assyria.
The people of Judah were not 'persecuted' they were kept under firm control by the imported aristocracy. And the deported upper class in Babylon was not persecuted - they were used similarly to keep control of lower classes in Mesopotamia. Which is why many of them refused to return to uncertainty in Judah, preferring their new position in Babylon.
So no one was 'persecuted' - there were shifts in population - an exchange of ruling classes. If people didn't revolt and cause disruption, they were encouraged to live peaceful and prosperous lives by the successive empires - Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian and later by Macedonian, Roman and Muslim conquerors.
View 2: The Term "Persecuted" is Appropriate
If deporting an entire ruling class of people and forcibly subjugating a previously independent people in an attempt to homogenize their culture is not persecution, then you should say as much about modern states that engage in the same practice (such as the colonial period in most Western colonies). Yes, it was true that the Jews in Babylon were given a certain status to assist in the bureaucracy but there was a concerted attempt to whittle away their unique features.
Additionally, the Assyrian Empire's activities, such as flaying open enemy combatants post-mortem, engaging in excessive torture and numerous similar activities are far closer to the modern idea of genocide than they are to simple persecution. The Persian Empire, Macedonian Empire, Roman Empire, and Islamic Empires did not engage in population movement unless the population caused issues after subjugation. This is markedly different from the Babylonians who did the Jewish deportations immediately upon conquest.
What do Shia Hadiths say about Persia or Persians?
there is many Hadith about Iran in shia.
hadith says Iran prepares conditions for coming of Mahdi.
Shia and Sunni have mostly same beliefs and both believe in fundamental beliefs of Islam. Today there is up to 260 sects in Islam that are in two main categories of shia and sunni.
the conflict of shia and sunni has been always amplified by world Imperialism to prevent Islam from gaining power.
Shia believes in Allah, prophet and all fundamentals of Islam.
Shia pray 5 times a day but usually do the 2, 3 and 4, 5 pray together and so may seem they do only 3 pray a day. there is some differences in details of pray like genuflect (for shia should be on a stone or part of earth and for sunni on carpet or floor ).
shia believe after death of prophet God selected the successive for prophet who is the political leader of Muslim community and people can not and does not the right to selected it.
Shia believes the Caliph (Representative of God in earth) is selected only by God and can not be selected by people because God said in Koran: "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority" (Quran 2:30) or "O David! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent on earth" (Quran 38:26) also other verses.
Shia believes such verses means only God can select an Islamic political leader (Caliph).
In Shia Islam Caliphs after prophet are 12 Imams and all of them are the same and have no mistake and have the knowledge of everything (not absolute knowledge like knowledge of God) and they hear all sayings and even thinks of all humans after even after their death by permission of God and they are intermediates between God and human Shia Muslims always support them and forgive their lives for them.
Shia Muslims do not consider selection of Abubakr as Caliph by people valid because God did not select him. They believe God ordered prophet to declare people that Ali is selected as successor of prophet and prophet did this mission many times during his prophet-hood and mainly in Ghadir event after last Hajj of his life at a 3-4 hour speech in front of 120,000 Muslims at Ghadir in hot desert after 2 days stop of long caravan for gathering and 3 days after speech for congratulations and homage of Muslims to Ali. Islam at that time had high power in world and Some companions had high interest in leadership position after prophet. Muslims knew that it is the final Hajj of prophet (predicted by prophet) and were going along with prophet to hear what prophet says at end of his life. Shia believes Ghadir event is the most important event of Islam and is mentioned in Koran in many verses like "Today" (اليوم) in verse 5:3 of Quran is the day of Ghadir. Or Verse 5:67 (O Messenger! proclaim the (message) which hath been sent to thee from thy Lord. If thou didst not, thou wouldst not have fulfilled and proclaimed His mission. And Allah will defend thee from men (who mean mischief). For Allah guideth not those who reject Faith) is revealed at Ghadir day and is about declaring political leadership of Ali after prophet.
Both Sunni and Shia Muslims accept happening of Ghadir event But different interpret. Some Sunni writers tried to reject the event of Ghadir as declare of leadership of Ali and said at Ghadir prophet only wanted to say Ali is my friend and no one should bother him. Ali had 3 different missions to Yemen by prophet during 10 years and in 2 of them some companions of prophet had some conflicts with Ali and and prophet said some sayings about Ali to solve conflicts and some sunni writers have mixed stories of missions of Ali to Yemen with story of Ghadir to prove Ghadir event is not about Leadership of Ali and is not important.
Shia scholars believe some Sunni writers have changed and deviated historical evidences about political leadership of Ali in old historical books and republished them to destroy evidences of leadership of Ali from old Sunni books.
The famous Shia book Al-Ghadir (الغدير) by Allameh Amini is a collection of evidences and proofs for Ghadir Events written after referring to 100,000 Sunni books and full reading of 10,000 sunny books. Allameh Amini is a famous Shia scholar and spent 40 years of his life in travelling to access original old Sunni books in libraries in different countries to write this 20 volume book only from Sunni books and not using any Shia book. Some Sunni scholars tried to reply this book but then said if we want to reply this book we should first destroy all books of ourselves.
Shia doctrine have root in Karbala tragedy. When tragedy of Karbala happened most of Iranians understood there is two different kinds of Islam and after happening of Karbala tragedy most of Iranians became followers of "Ahl al-Bayt" and forgive their lives for them like what they did in Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. Shia Muslims have at least 120,000 Hadith (saying) from The Fourteen Infallibles that is the base of Shia Islam along with Quran. Shia believes according to " Hadith of the two weighty things" The Fourteen Infallibles are the only valid interpreters of Quran and sayings of them are from God because they are Representative of God in earth and they do not say anything from themselves. Shia believes 12th of them (Mahdi) is alive and because people have killed all 11 Imams before him, he is in hide like Jesus and will come out of hide toghether with Jesus when people become ready and want to accept his leadership. All 11 Imams have been killed and during their life thy all have been in prison or under hard control of government to not have any political action. They never had enough serious followers to can get political power. Among them only the sixth Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq was relatively free in his life to have only scientific activities (but banned from any political action) and so only he is known in west because he established university and had students from all over the world. Westerns know him as a polymath: an astronomer, alchemist, Imam, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, writer, philosopher, physician, physicist and scientist. He was also the teacher of the famous chemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber), and of Abū Ḥanīfa, the founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He never wanted be a famous man and only shared his knowledge with who wanted to learn. Some researchers consider his teachings the root cause of renaissance.
Sunni Muslims also accept Mahdi and his worldwide leadership as Caliph of God in earth at end of world. There is a famous Hadith from prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that Mahdi at hide is like sun behind cloud, he is hidden from people but people receive his benefits. Shia Muslims say some faithful believers have connection with Mahdi and use his knowledge. Shia Muslims believe that it is proved at least 1000 persons have had connection and talk with Mahdi during his hide period but Any one having relation with Mahdi keep it and does not declare it in public until is alive.
Persia DeCarlo was born on October 15, 1985, in Orlando, Florida, USA.
How did the Persians devastate the Egyptian civilization?
The Persian aim was to build a stable and prosperous empire. When they took over Egypt it was riven by contesting overlords, and they stabilised rather than devastated it.
Three facts about the Persian War?
It was between the Persian Empire and a coalition of Greek city-states led first by Sparta, then Athens.
It lasted 499 to 449 BCE.
The Persians lost.
The Persian royalty intermarried with female relatives to avoid having challenges of succession, the Greeks had no royalty so it was irrelevant.
Persia became an empire under the leadership of?
The Persian Empire was under the control of Cyrus II after 546 B.C. the empire stretch from modern southern Asia, to the middle east (Iran, Iraq, ect.) before being capture by Alender the Great.
What were the different aspects of leadership in Sumer and Egypt and Persia?
they all had different ways to kick people!
When did the Persians invade the Roman Empire?
The Persians invaded Armenia, Syria and the Roman territories in Mesopotamia (Iraq) several times in the course of the many wars between the Romans and the Persians over these territories. The Romans also carried out invasions of Persia during these wars. During one of these invasions the Persians captured a Roman Emperor, Valerian. The many wars with Persia were one of the factors which weakened the Roman Empire in its later days. In the end the Romans gave up part of Armenia to achieve peace.
In 114-115 the Roman emperor Trajan conquered Armenia and Mesopotamia (Iraq), taking these regions from the Parthian Empire (the third of the four pre-Islamic Persian empires). His successor Hadrian gave these conquered territories back to the Persians because he deemed them indefensible and because he wanted peace. Under the reign of Lucius Verus, co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius, there was the Roman-Parthian War of 161-166. The Parthians defeated the Romans in Armenia. The Romans retook Armenia, invaded Mesopotamia and sacked Ctesiphon, the Persian capital, but had to withdraw due to an epidemic. In 165-97 the emperor Septimius Severus seized northern Mesopotamia and sacked Ctesiphon. Caracalla fought a successful campaign against the Parthians, but when he was assassinated his successor was defeated. This was the last Roman-Parthian war. The Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sassanid Empire, the last of the four pre-Islamic Persian empires.
In 230 The First Sassanid, emperor, Ardashir, raided Mesopotamia and Syria and demanded that these territories be given to him. The Roman emperor Alexander Severus pushed him back in 232. Ardashir attacked again in 238-240 and captured several cities in Mesopotamia and Syria. His successor, Shapur I invaded Mesopotamia, killed its king and defeated the Romans in a battle in 243. He was defeated in 244 and the emperor Giordan III advanced on Ctesiphon but was defeated near this city and was killed. His successor, Phillip the Arab made a peace treaty. However, soon after this, in 253, Shapur I invaded Armenia, defeated the Romans and sacked the major city of Antioch in Syria. In 258 he defeated the emperor Valerian and captured him. He pushed into what is now Turkey but was defeated by the Romans. He was forced to surrender Antioch and Armenia and to withdraw from all Roman territories by Odaenathus of Palmyra, an ally of the Romans in Syria.
In 283 the emperor Carus invaded Persia and sacked Ctesiphon. He could not extend his conquest because he died. During the reign of Diocletian the Persians invaded Armenia, but his co-emperor, Galerius, defeated them in 298 and captured the Persian emperor's treasury and harem. The Romans pushed further into northern Mesopotamia. In 299 Shapur II conducted unsuccessful campaigns. He failed in a siege of a city and two cites he captured were retaken by the Romans. He seized a city in 359. The emperor Julian counterattacked and won a battle at Ctesiphon, but failed to capture the Persian capital. He was killed in a skirmish while he was withdrawing from Persia. His successor, Jovian, made peace and surrendered Roman territory in Mesopotamia east of the river Tigris. Shapur II conquered Armenia. In 384 or 387 a peace treaty between Theodosius I and Shapur III divided Armenia into two states. This peace lasted because both empires suffered attacks on their frontiers.
What was the territorial extent of the Persian Empire in 330 bc?
It had stretched from Libya in the west to modern Pakistan in the east. However by 330 BCE it was disintegrating and was largely in the control of the Macedonians led by Alexander the Great who was converting it into an empire of his own.
What was the symbol for Persia during the Persian War?
They brought with them in 480 BCE the chariot of their god Ahura Mazda.
It seems to have been lost when Xerxes took half the army home after the battle of Salamis.
How did the Persians influence Indian civilization?
This is known a Indo-persian culture, as the name suggests its a mix of the two cultures, which already had similarities.
The culture was influenced mostly through the use of language.
Many of the Sultans and nobility in the Sultanate period were Persianised Turks from Central Asia who spoke Turkic languages as their mother tongues. The Mughals were also from Persianized Central Asia, but spoke Chagatai Turkic as their first language at the beginning, before eventually adopting Persian. Persian became the preferred language of the Muslim elite of north India. Muzaffar Alam, a noted scholar of Mughal and Indo-Persian history, suggests that Persian became the lingua franca of the empire under Akbar for various political and social factors due to its non-sectarian and fluid nature. The influence of these languages on Indian Apabhramshas led to a vernacular that is the ancestor of today's Urdu, Hindi, and Hindustani."
Persian hold on western India from about 500 BCE was tenuous and relatively short-lived. It had no significant effect as it was ruled by its own petty kings and tribal leaders under a Persian provincial governor whose job was to keep the peace and collect taxes, and retained its local customs, culture and languages.
The Mauryan Empire expanded west in the late 3rd Century BCE swallowed up western India and imposed its culture.
Iraq was one of several regions that came under the historic control of Persia on different occasions. However, these regions were never called "Persia". Iraq generally went by the name "Mesopotamia".
The historic country of Persia is properly identified with the modern Islamic Republic of Iran, which is its successor-state (post-revolution).
What did Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire do to Ezekiel and the Jewish people?
The story goes that he gave the Judean aristocracy, which had been deported to Babylon by the Babylonian Empire, the option of going back to Judea to try to reclaim their ancestral land. Some took the option, others were well established in Babylon and stayed.
