Presentation on theme: "The Persian Empire. 612-330 B.C. The Persian Empire dominated Mesopotamia from 612-330 BC. The Achaemenid Persians of central Iran ruled an empire which."— Presentation transcript:
The Persian Empire
612-330 B.C. The Persian Empire dominated Mesopotamia from 612-330 BC. The Achaemenid Persians of central Iran ruled an empire which comprised Iran, Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, and parts of Asia Minor and India. Their ceremonial capital was Persepolis in southern Iran founded by King Darius the Great. Persepolis was burned by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. Only the columns, stairways, and door jambs of its great palaces survived the fire
Cyrus Takes Over Babylon 539 BC, Cyrus marched triumphantly into the ancient city of Babylon. After this victory, he set the standard of the benevolent conqueror by issuing the Cyrus Cylinder. In this declaration, the king promised not to terrorize Babylon nor destroy its institutions and culture.
Cyrus, A Reign of 30 Years Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire(PERSIA) Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East He expanded his empire vastly and eventually conquered most of Asia, parts of Europe and Caucasus. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen
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Persian Archers & Soldiers
The Persian Soldier Ancient Persia first emerged as a major military power under Cyrus the Great. Persian warfare was based on massed infantry in light armor to pin the enemy force while cavalry dealt the killing blow. Young boys were forced to learn to ride horses and archery
Persian War Tactics Persian tactics primarily had four stages involving archers, infantry and cavalry. The archers, which wielded longbows, would fire waves of arrows before the battle, attempting to cut the enemy numbers down prior battle. The cavalry would then attempt to run into the enemy and sever communications between generals and soldiers. Infantry would then proceed to attack the disorientated soldiers, subsequently weakened from the previous attacks.
Darius, The Greatest Persian King Darius was the greatest of all the Persian kings. He extended the empires borders into India and Europe, yet he also fought two wars with the Greeks which were disastrous. The empire reached its greatest extent under Darius I.
Darius The Great He led conquering armies into the Indus River valley and into Thrace in Europe. His invasion of Greece was halted at the Battle of Marathon. Darius I, who ascended the throne in 521 BC, pushed the Persian borders as far eastward as the Indus River, had a canal constructed from the Nile to the Red Sea, and reorganized the entire empire, earning the title 'Darius the Great.'
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