Episode 24: Legacies of the Persian Empire

The Persian Empire

Dr John W I Lee (2012)

Film Review

Following Alexander’s untimely death on June 10, 323 BC, his generals squabbled over who should replace him. By 275 BC, the former Persian empire was divided into three distinct kingdoms:

• The Antigonid empire (Macedon), founded by Alexander’s designated successor to General Alexander Antigonus.  Following their 168 BC defeat at the he Battle of Pydna, after which Macedom came under the control of the Roman Republic.
• The Ptolemic Empire (Egypt) controlled Egypt until it came under Roman control in 30 BC.
• The Selucid empire – named after Selucus I, one of Alexander’s generals who married a Persian wife. The Selucid monarchs, who portrayed themselves as gods, created Persian-style satrapies but used Greek as their official language.

By 57 BC, the Selucid empire had been carved up by the Roman and Parthian empire. Most of the paved roads built by the Romans in the Middle East followed the original Persian roads. The Parthians (who ruled from 250BC to 224 AD) worshiped the Persian god Ahuramazda.

In 224 AD the Sasanian empire replaced the Parthian empire, using Farsi (modern Persian) as their official language. The Sasanians saw themselves as the restorers of the Aecheminid empire destroyed by Alexander. They established Zororastrianism and the worship of Ahuramazda as the sole religion, persecuting members of other faiths. In 651 AD the Sasanian empire fell to Islamic invaders.

Modern Iranian leaders tried to revive Persian glory in the late 19th and early 20th century, in opposition to Muslim clerics who challenged their authority to rule. Lavish spending by the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to celebrate historic Persian glory was a major source of popular discontent. He made a lot of false claims about the heavily promoted Cyrus cylinder, eg that it abolished slavery and guaranteed a minimum wage.

Following the break up of the Persian empire, there was also heavy Aecheminid influence on the Mauryan empire in India founded by king Chundragupta Maurya Magadha in India. The Mauryan empire used Aramaic in official inscriptions and built numerous Persian-style palaces.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/15372393/15372416