Compare And Contrast Persian And Athens

The Greek and Persian Achaemenid Empires coexisted during 553-336 B.C.E. These two empires had been rivals for centuries, which eventually led to the Persian Wars, happening from 490-480 B.C.E. The Persian Empire was made up of a variety of religions, however the one practiced by the native Persians was focused on a main god, Ahura mazda. The Persian religion was “...centered on an elaborate cult of kingship…” and these kings were believed to have a connection to Ahura mazda. In contrast, the Greek people had the same gods and religion throughout their empire, which were present not only in myth and stories, but also in daily life. Although the Persians didn’t have many personal ties to their gods, the Greeks believed their gods possessed human-like attributes, which gave the Greeks a more direct connection to their deities.

In addition, both empires divided their empire into province and appoint other officials to lead that province and collect taxes. In contrary, the Persians had a system where they will send official from the central government to other provinces to make sure the people knew the will of king and the king know what is going on in the province. The Persian empire last two hundred years until Alexander the great control

During the reign of the greatest Achaemenid ruler he expanded his empire to the East as far as the Indus river and to the west, the black sea. Creating the largest empire the world had ever seen, he also created a vast and complex system to govern all of his land and its diversity with a coin system,taxes, and laws.

In the 5th century B.C., there were many strong civilizations. Two of the most influential and dominant ones were Athens and Persia. Overall though, Athens was a more superior and successful civilization than Persia. Athens outstanding military, innovative government, and significant culture, were all reasons they were at the top. Athens was a more improved and refined society and they proved that in the respective categories listed.

It is crazy how two different civilizations from two different times can have such similar ideas about their economies. But, India, becoming an empire much later than Persia, had some improved technologies and ideas which made these two civilizations somewhat different. Persia’s main focus of strengthening their economy was the development of agriculture. By growing crops like grains, fruits, and vegetables, the Persians were able to acquire a great amount of food, making the population grow and grow. Fortunately, their location helped them conquer smaller civilizations so they can gain fertile soil, which is extremely important in agriculture. The abundance of food that the Persians had helped them trade with other civilizations that couldn’t grow the crops they needed. In return they would receive items that they needed to help their economy grow. Persia’s main trade route was the Persian Royal Road, which was about 1500 miles long. To transport themselves to deliver a message or items to trade with, the Persians would have intervals along the road and one horse would pull one man until he reaches his stop. It would take about nine days to travel the whole road using couriers, while on footy it would have taken them three months, making trade and communication very slow. Persia did have a social class, with the royal family on top, and of course, the slaves at the bottom. Slaves were a very big part in the labor systems of

Darius l seized power when the death of Cyrus’s son left Persia without a clear leader. Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces. He chose governors(satraps) to rule the provinces. After he chose his governors, Darius expanded the Persian Empire eastward to the Indus Valley and westward into Southeastern Europe. “King of kings” is what Darius called himself to remind other rulers of his power. Roads was one of Darius’s improvements to Persian society. He also formed a new capital called Persepolis. During his reign, a popular new religion(Zoroastrianism) arose in Persia.

Emperor Darius I established a bureaucracy, allowing multiple people to possess power. Under his rule, the empire was divided into twenty different provinces, more commonly known in that time period as satrapies. Each satrapy was ruled by a satrap, who implemented law and order and collected taxes. The twenty different satrapies ensured that no region became powerful enough to overthrow the emperor. Because Persia was such a huge empire, satraps made it easier

Darius 1 was King of Persia, 521-486 BCE. His reign divided the empire into provinces governed by satraps, (a subordinate ruler, colonial governor in the ancient Persian empire), allowing each provinces its own government while maintaining some centralizing authority. He was one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, who was noted for his administrative genius and his great building projects. During his reign ambitious and far-sighted projects were under taken to promote imperial trade and commerce, coinage, weights and measures were standardized, and land and sea routes developed. His

The poleis of Athens and Sparta both had similarities and differences to each other, because of this, these poleis make excellent candidates to compare and contrast. For one thing, Athens and Sparta both had starkly different governments, Athens had a government where Athenian land-owning males could voice their opinions, while Sparta had an oligarchy. Athens had one of the best navies for the time period, while Sparta had one of the strongest land forces, the Spartiates. Also, Athens cared more for luxury items than Sparta and Athens pursued knowledge instead of military power, unlike Sparta. Although Sparta and Athens had many differences, they also had some similarities, such as how both poleis had very strong armies.

The Assyrian and Persian took ruling their empire in two different directions but they did have some similarities. For one the Assyrians held a more militia force and the Persians were more kind and tolerant. When the Assyrians attacked they attacked violently with force and when a country surrender it would be painful for them. They would have to to confine to the Assyrian ways, while the Persian were the complete opposite. They would allow a peaceful surrender and had tolerance for other religions.

An example is their learning of an unnatural lust from the Greeks which leads them to “Each of them having several wives, and still larger number of concubines.” (Herodotus par.6) This quote tell us that they do have something in common and that is their wanting of more and a greed they both seem to share. It also tells us that the Persians seem to like and adopt certain foreign customs that they see to be as superior or as of a luxury to them, while the Greeks are more to keeping of their own customs instead of adopting new ones or modify the ones they already have. The Greeks seem to hold their customs very close due to it working closely with their religion that hold their god that the Greeks see as the upmost

Darius the Great was one of the kings of Persia who ruled for 35 years, from 522 BCE to 486 BCE. Darius I was the third Persian king and he was considered by many “Darius the Great.” Darius held together the massive empire, and he also extended its borders. As a result, with Darius as the Persian Empire King, Achaemenian Persia became the largest empire in the world in that era. Darius did not just expand the borders, but he also centralized the administration of the empire, and developed juridical

Although different, both beliefs had the support of a government. There are many differences between the empires of Persia and Rome. The empires had different views

Throughout the years, many historians have acknowledged that the classical era was a time when Greek and Persian Empires flourished. With that being said, from approximately 323-800 B.C.E., both the Greek and Persian Empire were experiencing periods of economic, political, and artistic growth. The Persians, like the Greeks, were Indo Europeans, and were located by the Mediterranean Sea, which consequently allowed Greeks and Persians to develop similarities. At this time, many emerging civilizations lacked communication with other societies. Consequently, this enabled many civilizations to established their own political systems, cultures, and religions. However, unlike other aspiring nations, the Greek and Persian Empires had interaction

The Greek city states of Athens and Sparta were very different in terms of their governments. Athens was at first an oligarchy, however, later transitioned to a direct democracy. Sparta, in contrast, combined a monarchy with an oligarchy, including elements of democracy. The first difference was who held the most power. Athens had a Council of 500 and an Assembly; the Council of 500 proposed possible laws for Assembly consideration, however, the Assembly proposed, debated, and voted on laws, therefore it was the more powerful group. Sparta had a Council of Elders, five Ephors, and an Assembly. The Council proposed and debated laws, and the Assembly voted on them; since there was no debate or discussion in the Assembly, the Council of Elders