Day Of Empire: Achaemenid Persian Empire
The general thesis that the author stated for the Achaemenid Empire is that as later kings ruled it became illiberal and biased towards subject people in the beliefs of religion and culture which caused revolts and rebellions making it difficult to uphold a steady monarchy. The reason Amy Chua included the Achaemenid Empire was because this empire embraced religious tolerance and was multiethnic. It was also one of the first hyperpowers of the world. It’s an empire that had higher attainment than today’s civilization.
The Achaemenid Empire is one of the most open empires towards cultural diversity and religion. Both rulers Cyrus and Alexander the Great have represented the Achaemenid culture in a welcoming manner, these rulers accepted various religions, cultures and honored gods. They showed devotion towards multiple deities. This was the key to their success as the first hyperpower in the history of the world. This empire dictated a region much larger than all of the ancient empires and they vanquished the great kingdoms of Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt. Cyrus the Great overruled the neo-Babylonian kingdom and Lydian kingdom in 539 B. C. Cyrus’s strategy after conquering an empire was honoring local traditions and rituals which made it less likely for rebellion. Embracing the honor they had for their subjects beliefs and rights kept the empire balanced and sustainable. The empire became unsuccessful when a lack of respect and ruthlessness was expressed and caused subjects to have violent outbreaks. Alexander the Great helped keep the empire from abstaining as he shared similar characteristics of Cyrus and Darius who honored and took regard of their people. The eventual decline and fall occured after Xerxes ruled from 485- 465 B. C. , it was stated that there were major military setbacks for Persians and it was taken that there were indications of Greek dominance. Unlike previous leaders Xerxes had no respect towards rebellions and came off as narrow-minded. He also praised the Persian god Ahura Mazda and was not open to other deities.
Greek accounts explain the elevation in barbarity with the later Achaemenid kings, this made them admire Alexander the Great more. This civilization had ruled many countries in Asia and respected all of the cultures and religions represented within the empire. There were Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Bactrians, Armenians, Phoenicians, Indians, Libyans, and more that made up the Achaemenid Empire. Each country had skills and talents that were unique and useful. They received fruits of all kinds, flowers coming from Libya and India, they had animals stretching across more than two million square miles. The book states that were buffalos from Babylon, elephants from India, giraffes that came from Nubia, Armenian horses and more. There were temples and gods that were highly honored which made up the denomination. All these factors brought this monarchy together.
The Achaemenid Empire could exist in the modern world as the religious and cultural tolerance really brought people together and taught them how to respect each other and gave them a vision of the different resources and skills each of them had to offer. This gave a representation of how diverse each country could be, but with all of them together they made up a successful empire. If this was portrayed in the present it could eventually help decrease the controversy we have today as there is separation in people of races, ethnicities, and religion.
