Ancient Persia

In the sixth century B.C., ancient Persia was the largest political and economic center in the world. The earliest and largest of the famous world ancient civilizations, the Persian Empire was founded in the territory of modern Iran. Founded by King Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire developed into a powerful kingdom in the Middle East. According to Ejaz, the first Persian Empire was formed in 550 B.C. “when Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great brings kingdoms of Medea under Persian control”. Ancient Persia covered the territory from the Indus River in the east to the Aegean Sea in the west and from Turkey in the north to Egypt in the south. According to Ejaz, the empire included the land of such modern countries as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Israel, as well as a part of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Greece. Nevertheless, historical knowledge of ancient Persia is much limited. Even though initially, it was unlikely that the Persians could build a great empire, in short order, they captured much of the Middle East. The ancient Persian Empire achieved incredible success on the world stage as a result of its political, economic and cultural development.

The Political Development of Ancient Persia

The Persian Empire was divided into different empires, which were ruled by the royal families in three different periods. The earliest and most famous empire was the Achaemenid Empire; it was led by the Persian royal family. According to Kuhrt, Achaemenid derives from the eponymous founder of the ruling dynasty; it was the name of the Persian royal clan, members of which had ruled the empire for more than 200 years.” The Persian Empire started with King Cyrus the Great and finished with King Darius III, who was defeated by the army of Alexander of Macedon. Kuhrt explained, “Its expansion began c.550, with the astonishing conquests of Cyrus the Great (…) It was brought to an end by the conquests of Alexander of Macedon between 334 and 323.” Primarily, the Persian Empire dominated other empires due to the strong leadership of a number of kings and due to the lack of powerful leaders in other states. In contrast to most empires at that time, the Persian kings were magnanimous leaders who allowed a multinational society with different religious and ethnic origins peacefully coexist in their land. The king was the head of the government in the Persia Empire who had significant power in the whole territory of the state. The authority of the king covered all spheres of the state life of Persian officials. The king controlled a treasury, which provided taxes for funding future projects and armies, as well as a system of trading roads and marine shipping. Also, ancient Persia achieved political success during the reign of kings Cyrus II of Persia, Cambyses II, and Darius III, who achieved remarkable progress in the law practice, government regulations, and development of legislation.

At the beginning of his rule, King Cyrus the Great, the Persians captured the territory of the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, which covered almost the entire territory of the contemporary Iran and Kuwait. Finally, the Persians at the peak of their development occupied the land from Middle Asia to north-east Africa and stretched far away. Furthermore, during the existence of ancient Persia, at least five cities were the capital of the empire at different times. However, despite the Persian Empire had been increasing its territory very quickly while developing economically and politically under the influence of internal and external forces for several hundred years, it was destroyed unexpectedly and dramatically. The Persian Empire reached its peak around the sixth century B.C.; however, the seeds of its fall had already been planted. The imperfect court system and vague rules for inheritance were a persistent problem of the empire. The death of a king often led to the cruel fighting for the crown, depleted the treasury, undermined the morale of the society, and questioned the power of the government in the regions. The majority of kings who followed King Cyrus the Great were weak leaders who could manage the empire only by stringent measures. Perhaps, the Persian Empire was the first superpower in the world but it was destroyed by the world’s next superpower; the Macedonians shortly developed from a modest kingdom to a huge empire.

The Economic Development of Ancient Persia

During the early period, the Persian economy relied on the animal husbandry because the local ground was rather poor for agriculture. The Persian society had led a modest lifestyle for a long time. However, the sudden occupation of new lands and new natural resources, including oil fields of Babylon, green fields along picturesque banks of the river Neal, and gold-rich regions in India, made Persia a high economic state. In addition, the Persia Empire seized rich agricultural regions of Mesopotamia, the grazing land of modern Turkey, and the trade routes in different directions, as well as rich deposits of minerals and other natural resources. As a result, the economy in the Empire differed from region to region. In fact, at the peak of its development, the Persian Empire used the economic advantages of different locations, while some communities still were at the tribal phase.

In general, the Persian state received most of the wealth as a consequence of its substantial crop yields. Even some distant and isolated cities in the empire benefited from agriculture. Wheat was the main cereal crop of the Persian agricultural sector since it would grow in most fields of the state. A great number of other plants grew in various regions of Persia. The planting of vineyards also became one of the more common agricultural activities in the Persia Empire. Moreover, state programs encouraged the expansion of agricultural activity in the empire. Finally, the government allocated the financial resources in improving the quality of crops, crop-protection, and the latest agricultural methods. The fields for agricultural production were in short supply, thus dividing the land among the population was a tough question. Given the enormous territory of the state, sometimes, the decision of how to divide and use the fields effectively caused contentious confrontation among Persians. Much of the land in the main part of the empire was formally owned by the state because it was seized by the Persian government from the neighboring countries. The areas of former Egypt and Babylon played an important role in the development of the Persian economic sector. In such a manner, these regions were mostly managed by different officials, who controlled the majority of the state land. The religious officials in the Persia hired the agricultural workers in their own land for farming or rented the lands for the families, which worked in these fields for themselves. The families that could come from distant regions used the rented fields and the crops, which they grew on them, to pay state taxes and show respect for the king. Also, some Persian soldiers who served in the army of the Empire were provided with the state land for the agricultural activity or for renting it out.

The Persian Empire achieved success in the economy due to many innovations and transformations, including the contribution in agriculture, a banking system and in the development of the international trade. Also, ancient Persians did a significant contribution to the systematization of taxation, standardization of measures and currency units, and the first successful development of the coinage and the widespread use of coins. Altmann asserts, “One of the great economic changes associated with the Persian period is the development of the coinage”. Furthermore, the expansion of the Persian Empire improved transportation and marine trading routes across Middle Asia, as well as formed strategically vital locations such as the future Suez Canal.

The Cultural Development of Persia

The Persian Empire included many nations and cultures, each of which had their specific social structure. In such a manner, it is difficult to describe the culture as a holistic unit. The Persian society was very hierarchical; people were divided into different social sectors according to their privileges and social classes. Unlike other empires, Persians followed different religions. Ancient Persians did not use their force for imposing their beliefs under any circumstances. Such behavior can be explained by the popular idea that every person could choose religion on his or her own. People were supposed to work and cooperate with the society, protect the family unity, and support free social coexistence. Furthermore, the Persians were famous in the ancient world for the sophisticated construction of palaces with monumental features and sculptures. Mural paintings and inscriptions, which covered the walls of palaces, praised the king and his military successes. The huge columns with great height supported the roof and were meant to create the feeling of power of the Persian Empire. In addition, ancient Persians achieved their cultural development because of the robust diversity of the society and the multinational structure of the population, which had a significant influence on the world’s culture.

In conclusion, ancient Persia was a great civilization, which achieved significant success due to its political, economic, and cultural development. Ancient Persia was founded in the territory of Iran and other lands of the Middle East. Soon, Persians seized the majority of neighboring lands to build such a great empire within a short period of time. The Persian Empire comprised different empires in three different periods of time, each of which was ruled by a royal dynasty. Additionally, the most well-known Achaemenid Empire was ruled by King Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Great was the member of the Persian royal family, which had led the state for hundreds of years. The Empire began with King Cyrus the Great and ended with King Darius III. The Persian Empire managed to excel other empires because of the effective leadership of its kings and l incompetent leaders of other states. Persians introduced many economic transformations and reforms, including an enormous contribution to the development of agriculture, international trade, and the financial system with the first successful coinage. In addition, at the peak of its development, the Persian Empire utilized the economic advantages of whole civilizations. Furthermore, ancient Persians improved the system of taxation, standardization of measures, and currency units. The Persian Empire was a home for multinational cultures and people of different origin, each of which had the own religion and social structure. In such a manner, the culture produced by these nationalities was rich and diverse.

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