Persian History
An imposter pretending to be his brother initially succeeded Cambyses. However, the imposter was only able to hold on to power for a few months before he was cut down by a group of conspirators. Darius, one of the conspirators became the next king of Persia. Several of the repressed peoples now part of the Persian Empire, took the opportunity of the chaos that had invoked the throne to revolt. The results of this revolt are depicted in a relief at Bisitun which shows Darius leading nine prisoners. The prisoners are the chieftains that attempted to revolt to throw off the yoke of the Persian Empire. Apart from the relief displaying Darius’s triumph over the rebellious factions of his empire, there are two other campaigns in the early part of Darius’s reign that are extremely important. In an expedition to India, Darius was able to the Sind and the Punjab territories to the Persian Empire. Under the reign of Darius the Persian Empire was brought to its greatest size. According to Herodotus, Darius employed a system of twenty provinces, each ruled by an individual Satrap to rule his empire. Each Satrap was then taxed according to the wealth of his territory. Herodotus, in his descriptions of Darius displays him as a great shopkeeper. This description could not be farther from the truth. Darius was a brilliant administrator and ruler. During his reign Darius built the great “Royal Road” which stretched all the way from Susa to Sardis, built a canal between the Red Sea and the Nile and brought the first minted coins to Persia. Darius’s achievements are nothing less than spectacular. It is unfortunate that history best knows Darius for his single failure rather than his numerous successes.
To view a larger version of the image please click the image to open it in a new window.
The Greco-Persian Wars and the fall of the Persian Empire: 499 BCE to 323 BCE
To view a larger version of the image please click the image to open it in a new window.
Darius is best known in western history for his defeat and the hands of the Greeks in the First Persian War. The impact of these wars on Greece and the western world is immense. It is ironic then that these wars were of little significance in Persia. There is no record of the First Persian War in any Persian sources, which suggests the importance of the First Persian War in Persia. The Persian Wars are often used a defining point of Greek history, it seems that the effect of the wars on Persia was inevitably much less than on Greece. The catalyst for the First Persian War begins in 499 BCE, when the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor revolted, and with the assistance of Athens sacked Sardis. Though the revolt was easily suppressed, Darius seems to have found the meddling of the Greek states in Persian affairs unacceptable. At least this is how Herodotus paints Darius motivations for going to war. It is unlikely that Darius embarked to Greek purely for the sake of revenge; it is more likely that Darius saw the economic opportunities that would be available to him if he added the Greek States to his empire.
Rise and Fall Heaven™ Copyright © 2005 HeavenGames™ LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Please obtain written permission from HeavenGames if you wish to use our site's content and graphics on other sites or publications.
Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War® is a game by Midway. Rise and Fall® and Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War® are registered trademarks owned by Midway Home Entertainment, Inc.
Please read: Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Forum Code of Conduct
