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FIND OUT MORE. Western Asia and the Middle East 264–265

History^375

GOLDEN ARMLET 3

Persia was rich in gold. This

armlet was found near the Oxus

River, in modern Afghanistan.

Persian Empire

From 539 BCE to 331 BCE, the Persian Empire

was the most powerful state in the world.

Ruled from Persia (now Iran), it stretched from

Egypt to India. It had rich resources of water,

fertile farmland, and gold. The Persians

worshipped their gods at fire altars.

COULD THE SATRAPS BE TRUSTED?

Persian kings did not trust the satraps. They employed

special spies, known as “the king’s ears”, to make sure

that the satraps were not stealing taxes and tributes.

But some satraps did become powerful, and plotted

against the king. Some joined up with enemies of the

empire, such as Alexander the Great – the Macedonian

leader who conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BCE.

WHAT WAS THE ROYAL ROAD?

This was the longest highway in the Persian Empire.

It ran for more than 2,500 km (1,550 miles) – from

Sardis, in western Turkey, to the empire’s capital,

Susa, near the Persian Gulf. A giant network of roads

linked the empire’s provinces. Messengers travelled on

horseback to deliver urgent royal commands or news,

while merchants used camel trains to transport goods.

HOW WAS THE PERSIAN EMPIRE GOVERNED?

Persian rulers claimed the proud title of “King of

Kings” and demanded total obedience from their

subjects. Under King Darius, the empire was divided

into 20 provinces to try and stop any single region

from becoming too powerful. Each province was

ruled by a governor, called a. SATRAP.

Stairway carving

of ambassadors from

Media (north Iran)

carrying tributes

SATRAPS

Satraps were local rulers appointed by the

king to govern individual provinces. Their

job was to enforce law and order, and to

collect taxes and tributes. They worked

with Persia’s army commanders to defend

the empire’s frontiers from enemy attack.

2 ROYAL PALACE
In 518 BCE, King Darius gave orders for
a magnificent new palace to be built
at Persepolis, in Persia. He commanded
leaders from all over the empire to bring
tributes (forced gifts) to him there.

Griffin,

a monster

from Persian

mythology

KING DARIUS I

r. 522–486 BCE

Known as Darius the Great, Darius I

reorganized the Persian government,

won great victories in Turkey, and

led an invasion of Greece. But his

army was defeated by Greek soldiers

at the famous battle of Marathon in

490 BCE. This started a long-lasting

war with the Greeks that eventually

brought down the Persian Empire.

Persians