Traditions and Encounters, 2/e

Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawai'i
Herbert F. Ziegler, University of Hawai'i

THE EMPIRES OF PERSIA

Study Questions


1		How did Cyrus manage to expand the Persian holdings so dramatically during his lifetime?



2		Why does the book say that Darius was "more important as an administrator than as a conqueror"?



3		Describe the administrative structure of the Achaemenid Empire.



4		In what ways did Darius, and his successors, promote communication and commerce throughout the empire?



5		In what ways did Alexander of Macedon both destroy and preserve elements of the Achaemenid Empire?



6		How did the Parthians come to control the Persian Empire?



7		What was the role of the imperial bureaucrats in Persian society? How did they fit in with the other social classes?



8		What agricultural technologies and techniques did the Persians use to produce the large surpluses they needed to feed their huge population of nonfood producers?



9		The Persian Empires were noted for being part of a trade route critical to the economy of the classical world. What did the rulers do to facilitate trade? Why was Persia geographically so important?



10		What were the basic teachings of Zoroastrianism? Why is it considered a highly moralistic religion? How did Zoroastrianism influence other religions?

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