Vocab
A person with no legitimate claim who becomes ruler by force
What is a usurper?
The first Persian to create an empire, conquering Media, Lydia, and Babylonia
Who is Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II)?
He became king of Macedonia in 336 B.C.E. and conquered the Persian Empire
Who is Alexander the Great?
The other name for the Arsacid Empire
What is the Parthian Empire?
He defeated the Parthians in 224 C.E. and named the dynasty after his ancestor Sasan
Who is Ardashir I?
The Greek historian who is our main source on Persia, even though he was biased against Persians
Who is Herodotus?
Receiving little or no rain; describes much of the Persian climate
What is arid?
This king claimed Achaemenes as his ancestor, though most scholars think he made it up
Who is Darius I?
Alexander ruled Persia from 330 B.C.E. until he died in this year.
What is 323 B.C.E.?
He led Parthia's revolt against the Seleukids and founded the dynasty
Who is Arsaces I?
Under Bahram I, this became the state religion
What is Zoroastrianism?
Ancient Persians mostly kept their history this way, so much of it has been lost
What is oral history?
Allowing people to practice religions or cultures other than your own
What is tolerance?
The name of the Persian mounted messenger service
What is the pirradzis?
Before Alexander could reach him, Darius III was killed in a conspiracy by this relative
Who is Bessus?
The Arsacid Empire existed at the same time as this Greco-Macedonian empire
What is the Seleukid Empire?
The Sasanians fought this empire again and again, with the Euphrates River as the border
What is Rome (later the Byzantine Empire)?
The two collections of government records discovered at Persepolis
What are the Persepolis Tablets? (Or the Fortification Tablets and Treasury Tablets?)
The right or lawfulness of a ruler's claim to be head of the government
What is legitimacy?
Cyrus's ancestors learned metalwork from this people
Who are the Elamites?
The founder of the Seleukid Empire
Who is Seleukus I Nicator?
This dynasty defeated the Arsacids in 224 C.E.
Who are the Sasanians?
These people took Babylon in 636 C.E. and controlled Sasanian lands by 654 C.E.
Who are the Arabs?
Until 1933, scholars believed all Achaemenid government records were written in this language
What is Aramaic?
A secret plan to commit a crime
What is a conspiracy?
Of the 13 Achaemenid kings, this many were assassinated
What is six?
These people conquered the Seleukid Empire in 64 B.C.E.
Who are the Romans?
Before its revolt, Parthia had this status under the Seleukid Empire
What is a subject state?
To connect themselves to the Achaemenids, the Sasanians did these two things
What is copying the style of Achaemenid royal inscriptions and carving reliefs at the same sites?
In 1971, a broken piece in Yale's collection turned out to belong to this famous artifact
What is the Cyrus Cylinder?