PERSIAN CULTURE: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, ECONOMY, RELIGION - HISTORY - 2025

The Persian culture was an ancient civilization that developed on the territory of Central Asia. At first, they were a nomadic people who moved in the north of what is now Iran.

As time went by, they settled on the Iranian plateau, developed agriculture, and began working with metal to create tools and weapons. From the 6th century BC. C., the Persians began to conquer the adjacent territories. In this way, one of the greatest empires of antiquity was formed.

Maximum extension of the Persian Empire. 750-500 BC Source: Ali Zifan

The creation of the Persian empire and the culture that is known today is attributed to Cyrus the Great, who defeated the Medes (neighboring people) causing the Persian civilization to unify.

This culture began to decline from the year 490 BC, when the Persians began the company of the conquest of Greece. Both armies clashed, which caused the Persian Empire to weaken and it was finally conquered by Alexander III of Macedon.

Location

The Persians settled in the territory that today corresponds to the Iranian plateau. To the north, it bordered Turkestan.

To the south, it bordered the Persian Gulf. To the east was India, while to the west it bordered Mesopotamia.

When the Persian Empire was created, the territory was divided into provinces called satrapies. The person in charge of these divisions was the satrap, who represented the authority of the king in the province.

History

In the beginning, the Persians were nomadic groups that moved in Central Asia. Around the VIII and VI century a. C., they became a sedentary people.

In the year 599 a. Ciro II, called Ciro the Great, was crowned like the king of the Persians. Thus began the history of the empire.

Under the reign of Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire expanded dramatically. It all started with the conquest of the Medes, who until then had been the masters of the Persians.

The war against Media began in 549 BC. C. and culminated in the year 546 a. Simultaneously, the Persian forces conquered part of the territory of Asia Minor, took Sardis and Lidia. In the year 539 a. C., conquered Babylon.

From the year 530 a. C., the empire was in charge of King Cambises II. His reign was short. However, under his administration they conquered Egypt.

In the year 522 a. C., Darío I was crowned like king. He wanted to expand to Greece and made expeditions to ensure that purpose. This is how the Medical Wars between Persians and Greeks take place.

The first Medical War happened in 490 BC. C., whose victory was for the Greeks. However, in the second the Persians were victorious. A century later, the Greek army, led by Alexander the Great, was to conquer the Persian Empire.

Economy

The Persians developed various economic activities. To begin with, they practiced agriculture, which benefited from the creation of irrigation systems that extracted water from the mountains and used it to irrigate the plains.

In addition to this, the presence of minerals in the territory made this culture develop mining activity.

However, the most important economic activity was trade. The Persians were famous for the production of fabrics, rugs and rugs, which were exported to India and China.

To simplify the exchange of products, the Persians established a land and water trade route.

Religion

The religious principles of the Persians came largely from the ideas of the prophet Zarathustra. The religion created by this prophet was known as Daena Vanguji or Mazdeism.

These practices have existed since the 6th century BC. C., when the prophet began to preach in Central Asia. Thus he attracted different civilizations including the Persian and transformed them to Mazdeism.

The ideals of Zarathustra are compiled in a holy book, called the Avesta. Among the teachings in this book, the following stand out:

1-Monotheism. The religion created by Zarathustra defended the idea of ​​the existence of a single god, creator of the material and spiritual world.

2-The existence of two spirits that represent good and evil. Ahura Mazda is the representation of good, while Angra Mainyu is the representation of evil.

3-The idea of ​​the final judgment, in which the person is judged based on the way they have lived. After the final judgment would come life after death.

4-Free will.

5-The basis of religion is "think well, speak well, do well."

Mazdeism influenced the development of other religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Society organization

Persian society was organized into two classes: the ruling class and the dominated class. The ruling class was made up of the wealthiest members of the empire: nobles, priests, warriors, and politicians.

The dominated class consisted of workers, peasants, artisans, and slaves. As the name implies, these individuals were subordinate to the authority of the ruling class.

Politicians and bureaucrats

Special mention must be made of politicians and bureaucrats, members of the ruling class. The three most important political figures in the Persian Empire were the king, satraps, and inspectors.

The king

The king was the top ruler of the Persian Empire. His authority prevailed over the other members of the society and his power was unlimited.

The satraps

The satraps were the figures who were in charge of ruling the provinces of the Persian Empire on behalf of the king. Among his functions, they highlighted the collection of taxes, provision of personnel for the army, among others.

Inspectors

The inspectors were also representatives of the king. They differed from the satraps because they did not stay within a province but traveled from one city to another.

This was done in order to observe the situation of the empire. In a way, the inspectors were the eyes and ears of the Persian king.

References

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2. Culture of Iran. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from everyculture.com
3. Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from persiansarenotarabs.com
4. Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from angelfire.com
5. Persian people. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from wikipedia.org
6. Persian culture. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from scribd.com
7. Persian Empire. Retrieved on November 2, 2017, from study.com