Rise& Expansion
He initiated the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire by Successfully overthrowing the Median King.
Who is Cyrus the Great?
This is the unique name given to the provinces or territories within the Achaemenid Empire
What are Satrapies?
Established by the prophet Zarathustra, this was the prominent religion of the Persians in ancient times.
What is Zoroastrianism?
These Inclined underground channels were engineered to transport water from mountain aquifers to arid plains
What are qanats?
Developed under Cyrus and expanded by Darius, the chapar khaneh is recognized as one of the world's first networks of this kind.
What is an organized postal express network?
After defeating the Medes, this wealthy Anatolian kingdom was the next major region conquered by Cyrus
What is Lydia?
This title refers to the ancient Persian governors who oversaw individual provinces
what is a satrap?
This is the modern official state religion of the region, contrasted in the slides with ancient Persian beliefs.
What is Shia Islam?
Sunk at regular intervals along underground canals, these provided ventilation and maintenance access.
What are vertical shafts?
The chapar khaneh express network operated along this famous imperial highway system
What is the Royal road?
The fall of the famous Mesopotamian city to Cyrus the Great is listed as a major turning point in the empire's early timeline.
What is Babylon?
The government of the Achaemenid Empire functioned as this type of absolute political system
What is an absolute Monarchy?
Linguistically and historically, the Ancient Persians belong to this nomadic ancestral group
What is Indo-European?
Dating back to roughly 400 BCE, this mud-brick dome structure was capable of producing and storing ice in desert summers
What is a yakhchal?
This specific term refers to the horse-riding couriers who carried messages across the empire
What is a Chapar?
This wealthy North African territory was added to the Empire during its early phase of rapid expansion
What is Egypt?
This ruler is credited with the foundational reigns and structural reforms that stabilized newly captured lands
Who is Darius the first (Darius the Great)?
This is the specific geographic feature where the ancient Persian nomadic groups originally settled during the first millennium BCE.
What is the Iranian plateau?
What is nighttime thermal radiation?
To maintain instant, relentless speed, couriers stopped at relay stations spaced roughly this far apart to swap tired horses
What is one day's ride apart?
According to the slides, expansion was driven by these three distinct factors
What are brilliant military conquest, visionary leadership, and an innovative administrative system?
The slides highlight these three reasons why building the Achaemenid Empire was globally important
What are building economic wealth, securing strategic borders, and driving an unprecedented exchange of culture?
Construction on this grand ceremonial capital began under Darius the Great and stands as a major achievement of the empire.
What is Persepolis?
Thanks to ice preservation, Persians could cool drinking water, preserve food, and enjoy early versions of this chilled treat
Instead of taking months on foot, the postal network allowed messages to cross thousands of miles in this short time frame?
What is just a week?