Lecture 20: Imperial Traditions ~ From Babylon to the Fall of Persia
Behistun Inscription
" [1.1] I (am) Darius, the great king, the king of kings, the king in Persia, the king of countries, the son of Hystaspes, the grandson of Arsames, the Achaemenid. [1.2] Says Darius the king: My father (is) Hystaspes, the father of Hystaspes (is) Arsames, the father of Arsames (is) Ariaramnes, the father of Ariaramnes (is Teispes), the father of Teispes (is) Achaemenes. [1.3] Says Darius the king: Therefore we are called the Achaemenids; from long ago we have extended; from long ago our family have been kings."
Decline of Babylonian Empire
- Babylonian Policies were disliked -Nabonidus, last ruler of the Babylonian empire, neglected Babylon - Cyrus the great, king of Persia, invades Babylon (539 BC)
Darius I (522-486 BC)
- Began construction of capital of Susa and Persepolis -Created 20 satrapies (for taxation) -Invented Old Persian
Persepolis Fortification Archive
- Fortification archive that includes more than 15,000 original records in Elamite and Aramaic, and blank seals that represent taxes paid.
Persian Control
-------Military------ -Phoenician Army ------Administration----- - Aramaic was employed as official language of the Persian Empire (Darius I) -------Bribery-------- Darics, coinage system, created by Darius I
Persian Wars against the Greeks (500-479 BC)
------Darius I----- - Ionian Revolt - Marathon (town in Greece) -Thermopylae (town in Greece)
The Medes and the Persians
-844 BC, first mention of Parsua -691 BC Persians were considered allies of the Elamites 550 BC - Rise of the Cyrus II (the Great)
The Rise of the Achaemenid Dynasty
-Darius I, 522-486 - Referred to himself as "the King, an Achaemenid"
Rise of Cyrus and Persian Empire
-In 550 BC, Cyrus (II) "The Great" defeats the Medes -In 539 BC, Cyrus (II) "The Great" takes Babylon -In 530 BC, Cyrus "The Great" is killed in battle in Anatolia
Persepolis
-Located South of Susa -Considered the city of the Persians
Neo-Babylonian Traditions
-Many Assyrian traditions were continued during the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire ----------------------- this included.... - Imperial policies: Adminstrative structure ~ use of vassal relationships, violence and force, the use of deportation exists
Cyrus's Selection by Marduk + Cyrus Cylinder importance
-Marduk, whom was the Patron God of the Babylon, had selected Cyrus (II) "The Great" to conquer Babylon and become the ruler in 539 BC. - The Cyrus Cylinder inscribed with cuneiform script, the Cylinder records the conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. by the Persian king Cyrus the Great.
Persepolis PT 2
-Persepolis is directly translated to "City of the Persians" -Founded by Darius I as the Ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire -Eventually looted and burned by Alexander the Great
Early Persian Kings
-Teispes (635-610 BC) Cyrus (Kurash) I, 610-585 BC -Cambyses I (585-559 BC) -Cyrus (Kurash) II, "The Great" 559-530 BC
Trilingual Inscription of Behistun
-The Behistun Inscription is a relief with accompanying text carved 330 feet (100 meters) up a cliff in Kermanshah Province, Western Iran. The work tells the story of the victory of the Persian king Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) over his rebellious satraps when he took the throne of the Achaemenid Empire -The inscription consists of Elamite, Babylonian, and Old Persian
