The Persian culture It was an ancient civilization that developed in the territory of Central Asia. At first, it was a nomadic people that moved in the north of what is now Iran.
Over time they settled in the Iranian plateau, developed agriculture and began to work with metal to create tools and weapons.
From the 6th century BC C., the Persians began to conquer the adjacent territories. In this way, one of the greatest empires of antiquity was formed.
The creation of the Persian empire and the culture that is known today is attributed to Cyrus the Great, who defeated the Medes (neighboring town) by making the Persian civilization unify.
This culture began to decline from 490 BC, when the Persians began the enterprise of the conquest of Greece.
Both armies clashed, which caused the Persian Empire to weaken and finally be conquered by Alexander III of Macedonia.
Location
The Persians settled in the territory that currently corresponds to the plateau of Iran. To the north, it was bordered by Turkestan.
To the south, it bounded with the Persian Gulf. To the east, India was located, while to the west it bounded with Mesopotamia .
When the Persian Empire was created, the territory was divided into provinces called satrapies. The person in charge of these divisions was the satrap, who represented the authority of the king in the province.
History
At first, the Persians were nomadic groups that moved in Central Asia. Around the VIII century and VI a. C., they became a sedentary people.
In the year 599 a. C. Cyrus II, called Cyrus the Great, was crowned as the king of the Persians. This is how the history of the empire began.
Under the reign of Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire expanded dramatically. It all began with the conquest of the Medes, who until then had been the masters of the Persians.
The war against Media began in the year 549 a. C. and culminated in the year 546 a. At the same time, the Persian forces conquered part of the territory of Asia Minor, took Sardis and Lydia. In the year 539 a. C., they conquered Babylon.
From the year 530 a. C., the empire was in charge of King Cambyses II. His reign was short. However, under his administration they conquered Egypt .
In the year 522 a. C., Darío I was crowned like king. He wanted to expand to Greece and made expeditions to guarantee that purpose. Thus the Medical Wars between Persians and Greeks are given.
The first Medical War happened in 490 a. C., whose victory was for the Greeks. However, in the second the Persians were victorious. A century later, the Greek army, led by Alexander the Great , would conquer the Persian Empire.
Economy
The Persians developed various economic activities. To begin with, they practiced agriculture, which benefited from the creation of irrigation systems that extracted water from the mountains and used it to irrigate the plains.
Added to this, the presence of minerals in the territory made this culture develop the mining activity.
However, the most important economic activity was trade. The Persians were famous for the production of textiles, rugs and carpets, which were exported to India and China.
To simplify the exchange of products, the Persians established a commercial land and water route.
Religion
The religious principles of the Persians came largely from the ideas of the Prophet Zarathustra. The religion created by this prophet was known as Daena Vanguji or Mazdaism.
These practices exist from the 6th century BC. C., when the prophet began to preach in Central Asia. Thus it attracted different civilizations including Persian and transformed them to Mazdaism.
The ideals of Zarathustra are compiled in a sacred book, called the Avesta. Between the lessons of this book, they emphasize:
1-Monotheism. The religion created by Zarathustra defended the idea of the existence of a single god, creator of the material and spiritual world.
2-The existence of two spirits that represent good and evil. Ahura Mazda is the representation of good, while Angra Mainyu is the representation of evil.
3-The idea of the final judgment, in which the person is judged based on the way he has lived. After the final judgment life would come after death.
4-Free will.
5-The basis of religion is"think well, speak well, do good".
Mazdeism influenced the development of other religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Organization of the company
Persian society was organized into two classes: the ruling class and the dominated class. The ruling class was made up of the richest members of the empire: nobles, priests, warriors and politicians.
The dominated class consisted of workers, peasants, artisans and slaves. As the name implies, these individuals were subordinated to the authority of the ruling class.
Politicians and bureaucrats
Special mention must be made of politicians and bureaucrats, members of the ruling class. The three most important political figures in the Persian Empire were the king, the satraps and the inspectors.
The king
The king was the maximum leader of the Persian Empire. His authority prevailed over the other members of society and his power was unlimited.
The satraps
The satraps were the figures who were in charge of governing the provinces of the Persian Empire in the name of the king. Among its functions, highlighted the collection of taxes, provision of personnel for the army, among others.
The inspectors
The inspectors were also representatives of the king. They differed from the satraps because they did not stay within a province but traveled from one city to another.
This was done in order to observe the situation of the empire. In a way, the inspectors were the eyes and ears of the Persian king.
References
- Ancient Iran. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from britannica.com
- Culture of Iran. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from everyculture.com
- Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from persiansarenotarabs.com
- Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from angelfire.com
- Persian people. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from scribd.com
- Persian Empire. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from study.com