- History Teresa Cuellar
The Persians grew into a powerful empire under Kings Cyrus & Darius
With a powerful army, the Persians conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, & India
The “10,000 mortals”- the elite force of the king’s army
Mesopotamia lacked natural barriers leading to frequent invasions
Persian religion was Zoroastrianism, which viewed life as a struggle between good & evil
Persians believed in heaven & hell as consequences for how they lived their lives
Zoroastrianism influenced the views of the afterlife in Judaism, Christianity, & Islam
Brain Break:
Would you rather speak every language or speak to animals?
Persians controlled their empire in a variety of ways:
Persian kings were tolerant & allowed conquered people to keep their languages & religions
Rather than destroying or looting conquered cities, King Cyrus would show respect for local customs
Ex: Ended the Babylonian captivity of the Jews
Persian kings were tolerant over conquered peoples and allowed them to keep their religions and customs
a)True b) False
Persians did NOT believe in Heaven or Hell
a)True b) False
King Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces each ruled by a satrap (local governor)
Satraps were the “eyes & ears of the king,” collected taxes, & delivered tributes to the royal palace. Informed the king of uprisings