Chua discusses the Achaemenid Empire in Chapter One. Lying in present-day Iraq, the Achaemenid Empire was the earliest hyper-power of the world, ruling as many as 42 million people. The story of the Achaemenid began with Cyrus the Great. Cyrus, remarkably complete in religious tolerance, not only spiritually freed people, but also restored them. Cyrus did not establish new kingdoms through conquering by strength, but instead, he did so by respecting the people and their freedom and human rights. Cyrus serves as a prime example of ruling people by serving them rather than coercing them through fear and force.…
Amy Chua develops chapter one by introducing the reader to the Achaemenid Empire or Persian Empire, the first hyper power in history, ruling over one third of the world’s population, and a territory more vast than all known empires throughout history. Following the introduction to such an exquisitely large empire, Amy Chua suggests the Persian empire achieved their dominance and maintained it, with one critical strategy: Tolerance. The hearth of the Persian Empire can be derived from the tolerance of Cyrus the Great. Cyrus’ technique for expanding the empire was to conquer, but with peace. Rather than attacking and striking fear into the nearby lands and their residents, Cyrus tolerated the culture, belief and rituals of the residents, which built a favorism towards Cyrus, and an empire, built to last . Cyrus then, left the enormous empire he built to his son, Cambyses who after invading Egypt, continued his father’s policy and tolerated the customs and culture of the local residents. With Cambyses’ conquests of Phoenicia, Libya Egypt and many other cities, the Achaemenid Empire rose to the “worlds greatest naval power.” After the death of Cambyses, a relative named Darius, took over. Building on what Cambyses and Cyrus had accomplished, Darius expanded into India and Eastern Europe and introduced a system of currency, extended/improved communication systems, and formalized taxing. Throughout his ruling, Darius…
Persia’s rise to power began with the marriage between a Persian and a Median. Cyrus, the son of a powerful Persian chief, married a Median princess. The Medes had been the first to achieve a complex political organization in Central Asia near western Iran. The Persians eventually overthrew the Median monarch but maintained the framework of the Median government. In Persian society the warrior was dominant. Over the course of two decades the Persian rulers and their armies redrew the map of western Asia from Anatolia to Mesopotamia and as far as the Indus region. Cyrus and his successors used the traditions of the local people and the creation of a new organizational structure to maintain control of their empire. (103-104)…
The Persian Empire ruled from 559 to 330 B.C.E. Around 2000 B.C.E. the Aryans conquered modern day Persia. The Achaemenid Empire began with Cyrus the Great and he became a king beneath Astyages in ancient Persia. In 550 B.C.E. Cyrus took complete control over the Median kingdom. By 539 B.C.E. Cyrus the Great had conquered both the Lydian and Babylonian kingdoms. After conquering a kingdom he would “decapitate” the leader (not by beheading them but by replacing the existing leader with one of his choosing). Cyrus interfered very little with those beneath the leader which kept them happy and prevented them from revolting. Cyrus almost always honored his subject’s religion by allowing them to worship in peace and not destroy their places of worship. Cyrus the Great ended his reign in 530 B.C.E. Darius the Great ruled from 522-486 B.C.E. Darius expanded the Persian Empire into India. When not occupied by military endeavors Darius was a great administrator, he built extravagant capitals, introduced a standard currency, and extended the road network. Darius also organized a navy comprised of the Greeks and the Egyptians. Alexander the Great took the throne in 336 B.C.E. immediately following his father’s assassination. Alexander continued to follow his predecessors and employ tolerance for tactical reasons. By 324 B.C.E. Greece was the most powerful empire in the world making Alexander the Great the most powerful man in the world at that time.…
The great Persian empire ruled from 559 to 330 BCE founded Cyrus the great. Cyrus was very tolerant towards religion and explored alternative cultures as well as allowing the conquered people to join him. In 550 BCE, Cyrus defeated Astyages (his grandfather) and took over Assyria, Mesopotamia, Syria, Armenia and Cappadocia. In 539, Cyrus became the ruler of the largest empire to ever exist after conquering Lydian, Median, and Babylonian. Cambyses took over the empire after Cyrus died and ruled from 530-522 BCE, expanding the empire. Darius the great ruled from 522-486 BCE. Darius helped the empire increase in tolerance. He encouraged the people to do what they wanted. When he conquered people he encouraged them to join him and benefitted off them joining by increasing diversity throughout the kingdom and used their skills and…
In Persia "Cyrus the Shepherd" invited a newer, more sophisticated government that distinguished it from the previous foundation civilization. In this new government, a centralized bureaucracy ruled, meaning that while Cyrus was the king and Persepolis was the capital a highly staffed team helped run the empire. Since the Persian Empire was so large, Cyrus broke it up into many distinct sections called satraps, which had considerable local autonomy (power). In other words, not only was there a strong central government but there was also bureaucrats who helped rule and maintain order in provinces throughout the empire. The Persian Empire, in addition, was very diverse, containing many different religions and ethnicities. Overall, the Persian Emperors were very tolerant and respected all peoples. The big religion you should know, however, is Zoroastrianism. Many historians consider this the first Monotheistic faith. Technologically, the Persians had Qantas which were sophisticated irrigation dams. Of course, metallurgy was still an integral part of technological life.…
Cyrus II had established the administrative basis for the empire, where his son Darius perfected the system around 519 BCE. According to Herodotus, Darius’ administration was later followed by all successive kings, including his own son Xerxes. He notes that Xerxes, who succeeded kingship in 486BC inherited the empire created by his three predecessors; Cyrus the Great, Cambyses and Darius the I. Modern historian Olmstead, explains that the Persian empire was a hereditary monarchy, meaning that the descendants of Achaemenes, the Archaemenids, formed the royal dynasty where they ruled by the grace of Ahuramazda. It has generally been established by many modern scholars such as Granger, that Xerxes and his predecessors were not considered gods, but were absolute monarchs and autocrats, who claimed religious and hereditary sanction for their rule, by the grace of Ahuramazda. Like his father Darius, Xerxes was an absolute ruler, where all his subjects had to obey him. On the Naqsh I…
In the Near East, the Persian Empire emerged with Cyrus II being the ruler. Cyrus was the King of Persia (Doc. 1). Cyrus the Great had hopes in expanding his territories and flourishing in wealth. One of the most prominent events during the reign of Cyrus was his conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C.E (Doc. 1). However, since the previous king was disliked by many, Cyrus was looked upon as a liberator. According to Cyrus, Marduk the Babylonian god, was the reason Cyrus was able to conquer Babylon with out any violence or fighting (Doc 1). Cyrus was sought out by Marduk, since the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had begin to slowly loose popularity from his people. Babylonians were unpleased with his actions of persuading them into believing in the Moon-god before all other gods. Being that Marduk was a protector of his people and worshippers, he was determined to find a new ruler who would lead him and Babylon (Doc. 1). Once Marduk had found Cyrus, he demanded all to bow in his presence. Marduk forced Cyrus to march against the city of Babylon. Marduk, along side Cyrus, marched through Babylon with an army who had no weapons present (Doc. 1). This saved Babylon from starting a battle. The Babylonians greeted Cyrus as a master and happily rejoiced since they were finally able to…
Which leader of the Persian Empire extended it to become the largest empire the world had yet seen?…
Daniel remained in governmental service through the reigns of the kings of Babylon and into the reign of Cyrus of Persia after the Persians became the dominant world power (Dan 1:21; 10:1). Daniel was also a person of deep piety. His book is characterized not only by prophecies of the distant future but also by a sense of wonder at the presence of God. From his youth Daniel was determined to live by God's law in a distant land (Dan 1). In moments of crisis, Daniel…
Herodotus is exceptionally significant. He collected his materials systematically as well as being exclusively known for writing The Histories, which led him to be known as a great historian of the 5th century B.C. His noble writings, which are recorded in The Histories, have been exceedingly beneficial at helping historians collect and understand knowledge of the western world. His well-constructed descriptions of the Greek and Persian war have given us a vivid picture of what went on during these strenuous wars. For example, as Xerxes leads his troops into Greece he asks a native Greek if they are ready to put up a fight? The native replies, “…Brave are all the Greeks who dwell in any Dorian land; but what I am about to say does not concern all, but only the Lacedaemonians. First then, come what may, they will never accept thy terms, which would reduce Greece to slavery; and further, they are sure to join battle with thee, though all the rest of the Greeks should submit to thy will. As for their numbers, do not ask how many they are, that their resistance should be a possible thing; for if…
Chapter 1 focused on the first hyperpower in history: the Achaemenids, rulers of one of the greatest empires to exist. Founded by Cyrus the Great and ending with Darius III (about 559 to 330 B.C.) it is regarded as being one of the most culturally diverse and successful empires to exist. The Empire came to this strength mainly through the effects of their emperors Cyrus and Darius, both being regarded as tactical, effective, and efficient rulers. A major component that was instrumental to the rise of the Achaemenids was the diversity and acceptance of other languages and religions, not just the Persian language and religion. Due to this, the subjects were able to live their lives as before, with the exception of paying taxes and being subject to the terms of the Empire. For example, Cyrus is noted for his style of “decapitation” of leadership, in which he replaces the local head of an area with one of the Persian aristocracy (a satrap), and otherwise kept himself out of the daily lives of the subjects. Rising in power through tolerance and expansion, it fell through the intolerance and violence that Chua included in…
The Persian kings were considered to be the ‘king of kings’. They were presented as great worriers, strong leaders, and magnificent successors. They were considered as a godly figure.…
Cyrus launched Persia’s imperial venture, and his conquests laid the foundation for the first Persian Empire. In 585 B.C.E. Cyrus became king of the Persian tribes and in 553 B.C.E. he initiated a rebellion against his median overlord, and he succeeded after 3 years. By 548 B.C.E. he had all of Iran under his control and in 546 B.C.E. he conquered the powerful kingdom of Lydia in Anatolia. Between 545 B.C.E. and 539 B.C.E he campaigned in central Asia and Bactria and in 539 B.C.E., after a quick campaign, he seized Babylonia, and their vassal states immediately recognized Cyrus as their lord. Within a period of 20 years, Cyrus went from a minor regional king to the ruler of an empire that stretched from India to the border of Egypt. Cyrus managed to expand the empire by using the wealth and resources he had attained after conquering Lydia to extend Persian authority to new lands and build the earliest set of vast imperial states of classical times.…
Persia was the greatest empire that the ancient world had yet seen. It had grown into a stronger empire through the reigns of Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius. Just before Darius's death the Ionian cities revolted, causing the beginning of the Persian Wars.…