The Persian

Empire
By Jose Rosario
The Persian
Empire
 A. The early Persians were nomads
who traveled south from central Asia &
settled in the area of Iran.
1.The founder of the Persian Empire
was a Persian chieftain called
Cyrus.
Cyrus
2.His greatness came from his ability
to conquer other kingdoms and to
rule without making enemies of
his followers.
3.Cyrus's first major conquest was
over the Lydians, located in
modern-day Turkey.
4.The Lydians were the first to mint
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
 B. Cyrus set out against the
once mighty Chaldean
Empire in 539 B.C.
1.That empire was in such a sad state
that the Persian army was
welcomed, especially by the
Judeans & Phoenicians.
2.He ended the Judeans captivity by
Babylonian.
Babylonian
3.Cyrus was killed in battle in 529
B.C. by a fierce nomadic tribe in
the east that was ruled by a
queen.
Chaldean Empire
 C. The Greatest Persian
Ruler
1.Darius I, the king of Persia between 522
B.C. and 486 B.C., was Persia's
greatest leader
2.Darius was convinced that only by
using strict control could he keep his
empire together.
3.His government was divided into
twenty provinces, called satrapies or
province, is a division of a country.
4.Each province was headed by nobles to
whom Darius gave much power.
Darius II
D. Darius sent special agents to check
on his government .

1.These agents were called the eyes &

ears of King Darius.
2.Darius enforced a system of laws
that included harsh punishments
for crimes.
3.When Darius died in 486 B.C., his
son Xerxes became king.
4.Who was far less capable than his
father, & the empire began to
decline.
 E. The last native ruler of
ancient Persia, Darius III.
1.Darius III was defeated by one of the
most brilliant leaders of all time,
Alexander the Great.
2.As province after province surrendered
to Alexander, Darius III could only
keep moving eastward.
3.Finally, Darius was brutally murdered
by one of his own governors.
4.This ended one of the mightiest
empires in the Near East.
Battle of Gaugamela
K in g D a riu s
A lexa n d e r
Battle of Gaugamela