5. GEOGRAPHY
• Built on earlier Central
Asian and
Mesopotamian
civilization following the
conquering of Babylon.
• It was the largest empire
in the world at the time,
stretching from the
Indus Valley to the Nile
River
6. IMPERIAL BUREAUCRACY
• Bureaucracy is a system
in which government
officials make decisions
for the government.
• Bureaucrats were
assigned to govern the
different provinces of
Persia. They served as
“the eyes and ears of
the king.”
7. BUREAUCRACY
• Civil Service programs
gave government jobs
to the people who best
deserved the work.
• Jobs weren’t awarded
based on family lineage
or wealth.
8. ROYAL ROAD
• System of roads that
stretched over 1,600
miles.
• Relay stations and rest
stops had fresh horses
and provisions.
• Messengers could
travel the entire stretch
in 7 days.
9. CULTURE OF PERSIA
• Followed a moral code
that stressed bravery
and honesty.
• Men should “ride horses,
draw a bow, and speak
the truth”
• Did not engage in
outside trade. They
thought trade was a dirty
practice
10. BUILDING AN EMPIRE
• The Persian government
tolerated the people that
they conquered.
• They tolerated their religion,
language, laws and way of
life.
• Cyrus Cylinder
• Iran/Iraq war , in 539 B.C.E.
• “the first declaration of human
rights.”
• It establishes Cyrus as a king
and denounces the previous
king of Babylon, but then it
talks about peace.
11. ZOROASTRIANISM
• Religion of Ancient Persia
• The Prophet Zoroaster
preached that there was a
divide between good and
evil. Humans had to
choose their path. All of
those that fought for good
would be rewarded with
eternal life.
