...Achaemenid empire was one of the largest empires in ancient history and with its coverage of what is today Iran and parts of Afghanistan, the empire got at its peak in 500 BCE by conquering other vast empires. The empire stretched to the Mediterranean Sea to modern day India, from the gulf of Oman to the south of Russia. With the central location in Persia (Iran) coordination of battles and administration was undemanding. On the other hand, the roman empire which featured the areas around the Mediterranean sea though much smaller n size as compared to the Achaemenid empire above. However, it ruled parts of North Africa and Europe as well as small parts of the Middle East. Achaemenid Empire’s culture was greatly influenced by Aryan culture...
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...Waters, Matt. “Cyrus and the Achaemenids”. Iran 42 (2004): 91–102. Web. The Feeling of Victory. The Agony of Defeat. The Fires of Rebirth. The Joy of Conquest. The reign of the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire, or the Achaemenid Empire, was riddled with emotions and success. It’s everlasting influence that still inspires us to this day leads some historians to deem the Achaemenids, one of the most powerful and influential empires in history (Zeinert 70). The Achaemenid Empire’s influence was only increased by their legendary battles with the Greek. The area from which the Achaemenid Empire sprang(current day Iran) was inhabited by several other peoples before the Achaemenids called it their home. The area was first inhabited...
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...HIST-T124 T1 Study Guide I. MULTIPLE CHOICE KEY CONCEPTS Early Humans and their Culture * Define “culture” * Identify the features of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Cultures Middle East * Define “civilization” * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations Near East * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of Near Eastern civilizations * Identify the Hittites and Assyrians Indian Sub-Continent * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of early Indian civilization * Recognize and identify key characteristics and features of Harappan and Vedic Aryan civilizations East Asia (China) * Explain the role of climate and geography on the emergence of civilization in East Asia * Identify and describe the key features of Shang and Zhou civilization The Americas * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of civilization in the Americas * Focus on the Olmecs in Mesoamerica and Chavin de Huantar in the Andes Comparing the Four Great Revolutions * Identify and understand the main points of comparison and contrast between Chinese, Indian, Near Eastern, and Mediterranean philosophy and religion Philosophy in China * Identify and understand the key features and messages of Confucianism, Daoism...
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...Darius I Darius the Great was the king of Persia from 522–486 BC. He was one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty and was distinguished for his administrative genius and great building projects. The main achievement of Darius was consolidation and organization. After putting down numerous rebellions in his earlier years, Darius set out to administer his kingdom. He minted gold coins, called Darics that were widely used for commerce and trade. He divided the Empire up into twenty provinces, each run by a satrap, or governor, who in most cases, had a great deal of autonomy. In order to gain the good will of his subjected people, he allowed religious freedom, and donated money toward the building of various temples, including the Temple of Jerusalem, in Judea. Darius also started use of a Royal Road that allowed messages, soldiers, and mail to be sent quickly across the empire. He promoted trade and business and established a law code. After the death of Darius his son Xerxes became ruler. Darius left an overwhelming responsibility filled with high demands to keep things in order. I believe that Xerxes did a solid job maintain the system that was in place. After the death of Xerxes (486-464 B.C.E.), the Persian Empire lacked that strong hand. As a result, various problems developed that fed back upon one another and led to Persia's decline and fall. For one thing, weak rulers led to numerous provincial revolts, especially in Egypt, which always had detested Persian...
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...Alexander or Cyrus? In our past, we have had many leaders. Some were better than others, but what must a leader do to acquire the label “great”? Of course, one could simply go by the definition of the word and deem the leader “above average”. Did the great ones of ancient times exceed these standards or were they just above average like a standard dictionary would have us believe. Let us focus on two “great” leaders of our past by the names of Alexander and Cyrus. Both of these kings were famous for the way they ran their empires but were they both, so called, great? Cyrus the Great was the first king of the Achaemenid Empire. While he was king, he freed 4,000 Jews from Babylon. He also founded a new capital, invented the first postal system, and was mentioned 22 times in the old testament. Not only did he build one of the most powerful empires in ancient times, but he made its glory last by organizing it and expressing his tolerance of different races and religions. Alexander the Great lost his father and became a king at the age of 20. While he was king, he expanded Macedonian territory. He did this through conquest and was never defeated in battle. In fact, he conquered half of what was known in the world at the time. He also founded a city in Egypt and named it “Alexandria” (after himself, of course) and Wheatley2 discovered trade routes in Asia. But, because of the excellent battle strategies he was known for, he is often called the greatest military leader of all...
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...1. Where was the Persian Empire located? The Persian empire was spread across the three continents Africa, Asia and Europe; including countries: Libya, Egypt, Africa, Macedonia, Thrace of Europe, Babylonia and Syria. 2. Who were the Achaemenids? The Achaemeids were the royal family of the Persian Empire. 3. Name the Persian Kings and their contribution to the expansion of the Persian empire. (Table) Kings | | Cyrus | 559-530 BC- He added countries such as Medina and Lydia (and more) | Cambyses | 530-486 BC -Cambyses added Egypt into the Persian Empire. | Darius | 522-486BC Gandhara, India, Thrace. | Xerxes | 486-465BC- led 2nd Persian Invasion of Greece | Artaxerxies | 465-424BC | Daruis 2 | 424-404 BC | Artaxerxes 2 | 404-358 BC | Artaxerxes 3 | 358-337 BC | 4. Who were the Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor? The Ionians were the Greek settlers which established colonies in western Asia Minor before 1000 BC 5. What were ‘tyrants’? Leaders who had overturned an existing regime. 6. Outline the cause of the Ionian revolt? Ancient Historian Herodotus states one reason behind the Ionian Revolt was that the king of Persia, King Darius gave Persian worker Histaeus a piece of ………. To own. Darius then took back the land, and sentenced Histeaus to imprisonment although the reason why is unknown. The son of Histeaus, Aristagoras then approaches Naxos (powerful leaders). Together they went to Darius, however the Persians were warned and saw them coming...
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...as an earthly illustration in comparison to the beautiful relationship between Christ and His church (Ephesians) is the nurturing relationship between a man and a woman encompassing holiness and safety of the marriage covenant. Setting the foundation for the relationship between God and His love for his people, The Song depicts how God designed sexual union to be a mutually fulfilling, unselfish and nonsecular. Mighty within Gods plan of marriage, it is spiritual; emotionally and physically constructive. Exercised outside of His will proves to be destructive and sinful creating countless problems. Darius Of Persian descent, Darius I (also known as Darius the great) lived in 8th century Persia from 550–486 BC. A descendant of the Achaemenid Dynasty, the first family that ruled in the area of Mesopotamia and Babylonia. At the age of 62, his ascension to the throne of Babylon was paved with manipulation, cunningness, and murder. Regarded as his intellect and architectural...
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...steppes of Central Asia, in the north. At that point, they were closely associated with two other peoples: the Medes and Aryans. Although Cyrus had found the Persian Empire Darius 1 gave it an internal organization and structure that allowed it to last for 200 years. His accomplishment, are more impressive when we consider the empire's enormous size, the scale of which no one had ever dealt with before. The Persians, like most ancient peoples, started out with a polytheistic religion to account for the forces of nature. This was a dualistic religion, which meant it saw life as a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil. Rise of the Persian Empire Most of the credit of the rise of the Persian Empire was due to the first Achaemenid Emperor, Cyrus the Great. He founded Persia after he united the Medes and the Persians to build a great Empire. He came to power in 559 BC and thanks to his military and political genius ruled the largest empire in the ancient world. All of his people called him the father, and even people he has defeated call him a worthy ruler, and law giver. He brought different architectural possibilities and built the Capitol City of Pasargadae. Also another rise of the Persian Empire is that He also freed the Jews from Babylonia and believed...
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...Fate and the movie 300 According to many past and present cultures, fate determines one's destiny. The social status in which one is born into serves as a preconceived prophecy of that particular life and course of events that will take place throughout it. Throughout history, personalities have not been believed to form from particular life experiences or the culture in which one was raised in. Instead, personality traits and the ultimate success of life were thought to be set in stone and predetermined. Often known as the first historian, Herodotus, author of The History, displays the importance of genetics and inborn qualities through his in depth narratives of 5th century B.C. empires: the Persians, Egyptians, and Scythians. As the majority of members in this time era believed, one's entire identity was already established at birth. Identity was formed at the hands of fate which served as a self-fulfilling prophecy, foreshadowing people's traits, interests, and actions, causing this predicted identity to in fact, become true in the future. The famous story of “Cyrus the Great” provides a clear example of how and why certain characteristics of one's identity were believed to be genetic and formed from nature instead of nurture. In this particular story, Astyages, newfound Median king, had two strange dreams about his daughter Mandane which the Magi (dream interpreters) prophesied as an end to his rule. In Astyages' first dream, he saw Mandane “making water so greatly that...
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...Alexander The Great Why hello. Thank you for taking an interest in my life, as you already know I am Alexander the great. You’re probably wondering why I have such a cool nickname as “the Great” huh? Well, stick around and listen to what I have to say about myself and then you can be the judge on whether or not I should be known as Alexander the Great, or Alexander the Best. Sorry, just a little joke. Obviously I can’t give you a life story day by day, so here’s my life in a nutshell. The miraculous year that I was born was 356 B.C. That makes me (pretty damn old) 2,358 years young. I was born into royalty in Pella, Macedonia, being my father was King Philip II, and my mother Queen Olympias. As most of you already know all great figures want the best for their children, so for my education I was tutored by Aristotle; one of the greatest minds to ever live. Since I was heir to the thrown I supported and backed my father 100%. I fought many campaigns for my father, but after I let my temper loose one time I was sent into exile with a few of my companions. I returned after the death of my father in 336 B.C., in which Darius had believed to be involved in, and was hailed as king, although I was careful to eliminate any possible rivals to the throne. This started the path to becoming “the Great.” I had to clean up so to speak, what my father had already started and undertook the invasion of Asia. Now with me as the “commander-in-chief” my first goal was...
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...Charlize: Hey Elise how are you? Did you like the brochure I gave to you? You know the “listen to god and live forever”? Elise: Yeah I guess it was alright Charlize: What do you mean? Didn’t you like it? Elise: No I did like it. It’s just that well I didn’t really believe the things it was saying. Charlize: Like what? Elise: It talked mostly about god’s word and his promises. I just didn’t get how such promises could ever come true. I mean it doesn’t seem real. The thought that God will destroy wickedness and everything bad in the world sounds impossible. Charlize: I can definitely see where you are coming from Elise. Have you ever heard of Cyrus? Elise: No I don’t think so. Charlize: Well, he was a ruler in the Persian Empire and lived over 2000 years ago. You might be thinking what’s interesting about this man? He was someone who was mentioned in the bible and was used by god to fulfil a prophecy. Do you know what a prophecy is????? Elise: Isn’t a prophecy something that will happen in the future? Charlize: Yes exactly. So if someone said something about the future and his words always came true, what would you think of that person? Elise: I suppose I would believe everything he said. Charlize: Well the bible is FULL of prophecies that have come true. For example Cyrus. Why don’t we learn a little bit more about him? Let’s have a look at Isaiah 44:26-28. Do you mind reading that? Elise: (READ) Charlize: Notice in verse 26 it talks about the one making the word...
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...Week 3 Reading Guide Chapter 6 1. Do Cyrus and Darius merit the title “Great”? In what ways were they different from the rulers that preceded and followed them? -Yes. They both do. Cyrus the Great was a leader who kept his people in mind. He was very successful, as he became known as one of history’s most successful empire builders, but he did not rule with force or fighting—he used respect and compromise. Darius on the other hand was also super successful as a leader, but his methods were all done with the idea of a central rule, used force and was much more distant from his people than Cyrus. 2. What was so distinctive about Zoroastrianism? In what ways did it differ from Hinduism and Buddhism? -Zoroastrianism contained both monotheistic and dualistic features. It was based off of prophet Zoroaster’s belief in two separate gods actually being one god—Ahura and Mazda= Ahura Mazda. -Hinduism & Buddhism are in India, Zoroastrianism in Iran; texts, mythologies, philosophies and beliefs are different from each other. Zoroastrianism is founded by the Prophet Zoroaster, while Hinduism does not have a founder. Buddhism believes in many different dieties. While Zoroastrianism Believes in one God. 3. How were the Persians similar to cultures we have previously discussed? How were they different? 4. Why were Persia and Greece so frequently at war? Why did the Persians eventually fail to defeat the Greeks? -The Persians and Greeks were frequently at...
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...Alexander the great was indeed great not only was he a great leader by always being in front of his troops going into battle but he also was brave and courageous as you can see in document E.Alexander brought many people to his kingdom and protected it with two thousand people at the end of his life. In his life span he founded seventy cities and he died at an early age of thirty-three. Also after his death his empire lived on for ten more years before eventually crashing. While Alexander was in charge he made sure to never let his troops think that he was better than them there is a story in document D that shows this very well it states “They tipped the water into a helmet and gave it to Alexander, with a word of thanks for the gift, he...
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... Alexander the Great and his armies conquered much of the known world between 334 and 323 B.C. to create a great empire that stretched from Greece to Asia, Egypt, and the Persian empire in the Near East to India. And with the death of the great conqueror, Alexander, came the birth of the era that would be known as the Hellenistic Age. This era was a time of power, conflict, and great cultural influences that paved the way for change and development. This era brought change and artistic influences to the world as it was known until it would change again, marking the end of the Hellenistic Era with the battle of Actium, which was the pivotal moment that would later be defined as the end of Ancient Greece. Yet, while the Hellenistic Age strived, Greek Society would take on a transformation from once localized and isolated societies to a flourishing open cosmopolitan with exuberant culture that infused the entire eastern Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, and Africa. It is during this time that cultures began to fuse and influence each other’s ideology. All aspects of cultures began to take on a Greek tone, from language, philosophy, science, literature and art. The great empire built by Alexander the Great would continue to see conflict for 300 years following his death since he left no heir to rule over the empire. And so, the kingdom was then not left to be ruled by one ruler, but was instead divided and ruled by the men who fought alongside him… his generals. His generals would...
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...Pigeon Post The pigeon post was one of the oldest means of communication. It was first used even before 2000 BC by the Persians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Indians, the Greek, and the Romans. People have noticed that pigeons are able to fly to a far distance and come back to its nest, a pigeon’s ability that scientists now call homing, and then started to breed them. In fact, some people breed pigeons to be able to find its way home from extremely long distances, and we call them homing pigeons. In the Ancient times, pigeons are used for delivering and announcing events, like to announce people that an important person is arriving by releasing pigeons from said person’s ship in Ancient Egypt or announcing the winners of the Olympics in ancient Greece. In the Middle Ages, pigeon post has grown rapidly as it became a favorable form of communication. However, pigeons are later used for military purposes, especially in the Franco-Prussian War which brewed from 1870-1871 and the World Wars. Pigeons can fly for a thousand miles, while humans and horses cannot fly at all. Flying gives them an upper hand because they can see things from an elevated field of view. Also, pigeons are usually faster than horses so they can be an ancient equivalent to E-mail. Since pigeons can be ordered to fly to one place and another, they are able to cross the borders and send mail and parcels to other people living in other parts of the world, therefore spreading out. Also, if a country had received...
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