Research+2011+Persia+6

Brooke Yang GREATS Wiki Project Research

Technology: What allowed Persia to grow culturally was its agricultural success. Besides the advantage of extremely fertile valleys in Fars, the Persians also created the Persian Water Wheel, an irrigation system that brought water from the Nile River. This greatly benefitted farmers because the Persian plateau was overall very arid. Settlers in Persia were able to build cities, which helped with trade, as well as smaller towns where people could live. Roads were built, most notably the Royal Road, which allowed people to communicate with others who lived far from them. The Persian military was able to conquer many lands using composite recurve bows, which were highly advanced bow and arrows at the time that could shoot far distances. In fact, an important part of children's education was learning to use a bow and arrow. Horse racing was the next strength of Persians, and soldiers were trained to ride them proficiently. Society: Ancient Persia was a sophisticated, wealthy, and beautiful empire that was envied by all. Aryan tribes, who were originally from the Caspian Sea region, were the first settlers of this great empire. They settled in the region of Fars on the Persian plateau, surrounded by mountains and desert. There were fertile valleys in which people were able to grow surpluses of food. However, the settlers had a rough beginning in their new land. The Medes, who lived near Fars, took control of the Aryan tribes, against their wishes. But along came Cyrus the Great, who united the Medes and the Aryan tribes, and took control of his newly established empire. He began the great success of Persia. At the time of his rule, several different cultures existed, as Cyrus showed great respect and importance towards diversity and different customs. In turn, the people of Persia valued and respected him. Persia quickly became known for its stunning buildings, flourishing gardens, and large merchant districts. Egypt and Greece were later seized by the Persians, further increasing their wealth, but unfortunately also increasing the risk of being attacked due to jealousy from other empires. The empire was expanded yet again by Darius I, when he became leader and seized western India. He also benefitted Persia in other ways, creating a successful administration, including building a postal system and establishing standard weights and measurements. Finally, Darius I improved communication across the vast empire. When the Sassanian family took power, Zoroastrianism became the single religion practiced and the first social hierarchy was put in place. The royal family was the most powerful and wealthy, second were the Zoroastrian priests, next were the military workers, and at the bottom were the common people.Many sports were played, such as archery and horse racing. Even after Persia was overun by Muslims, the wonderful culture continued to live on.

Sources: http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1296394?terms=persian+technology [] []