PERSIAN Chart for Classical Civilizations
Persian Empire – The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid Empires
ERA: 600 B.C.E. to600 C.E. / Seleucid
(305 BCE– 281 BCE) / Parthian
(238 BCE–224 CE) / Sassanid
(224 CE–651 CE)
POLITICAL
Leaders/groups
Forms of government
Empires
State building/expansion
Political structures
Courts/laws
Nationalism/nations
Revolts/revolutions / Seleucus took over the Persian part of Alexander the Great’s empire, controlling and preserving much of the Achaemenid systems of administration and taxation
Satraps often revolted against Seleucid’s rule or built power bases to gain some independence. / Organized themselves politicallythru a federation of leaders who met in councils and jointly determined policy for all allied groups.
No centralized government
Strong military to protect against nomads (cavalry was strongest due to feeding animals alfalfa which allowed them to grow stronger since no access to feed grains.)
Proclaimed themselves restorers of Persian rule and structured their empire after the Acheamenids after satrap overthrew the Seleucids
Governed through satraps and adopted similar techniques of administration and taxation. / Continuedthe political and ruling techniques of the Achaemenid empire
Conflicts with Byzantine and Roman empire to west and Kushtan empire to east slowly weakened the empire
ECONOMIC
Agricultural, pastoral
Economic systems
Labor systems/ organizations
Industrialization
Technology/industry
Capital/money
Business organizations / Agriculture
New cities stimulated trade
Long distance trade was extremely important to the economy / Turned increasingly to agriculture to support the economy / Active trading with people east and west
Introduced the cultivation of rice, sugarcane, citrus fruits, eggplant, and cotton to Iran
RELIGIOUS
Belief systems/ teachings
Philosophy
Holy books
Conversion
Key figures
Deities / Zoroastrian priests, magi, preserved religious texts in writing and helped religion to survive despite attacks.
Buddhism spread to the Persian Empire through trade. / Zoroastrianism flourished again and was used to unitethe empire.
Christianity spread through the Persian Empire through trade. / Zoroastrian writings are compiled into a holy book, the Avestas.
Often persecuted other faiths
Manichaeism blended Zoroastrianism, Christian, and Buddhists beliefs.
SOCIAL / Tension between the warrior elites and educated bureaucrat elites / Retained many of the customs and traditions of nomadic peoples from the steppes of central Asia
INTERACTIONS / Attracted Greek colonists to occupy new cities
Overthrown by the Parthians in 3rd century B.C.E.
Toppled completely by the Romans in 83 B.C.E. / Romans captured the capital three times in the second century and pressure from the Romans caused the empire to weaken. / Shapur I created buffer states between the Sassanid and Roman empires.
Defeated several Roman armies and took Roman prisoners
ARTS / Continued imperial roads and postal system / Gold statues, often celebrating conquest / Refurbished many cities
Learned Roman engineering skills to aid with road construction and the building of dams
ENVIRONMENTAL / Based in Iran
Built their capital at Ctesiphon on the EuphratesRiver / Capital at Ctesiphon