đź“…Weekly Schedule and Objectives: Ancient Persia and Greece

Topic: Ancient Persia

Weekly Schedule
Due Date Activity

Oct 6

Read & examine this week's module

Textbook: Chapters 6 & 7

Watch: All Videos

Oct 6

Homework: Ancient Persia

Oct 6

 Review Quiz

Image: Tomb of Cyrus the Great  

Summary:

Persian society developed on the arid Iranian plateau in southwestern Asia. The plateau is inhospitable, but also easy to defend. Central Asian nomads arrived in the region around 2000 BCE, among them were the Medes and Persians, speaking two dialects of Farsi. The Medes and the Persians took advantage of war between Babylonia and Assyria to free themselves from the Assyrians. The Persian king Cyrus the Great took control of the kingdom of the Medes and expanded the territory of the Persian Empire

After the death of Cyrus, Darius renewed Persian efforts at conquest and expansion, and imposed strong central rule on the empire. Mesopotamian influences shaped Persian law, administration, and commerce. Like Mesopotamia, Persia had a class-based society. The Medes and Persians exerted a strong influence on the empire’s culture, especially through their language, religion, and methods of administration.

Zoroastrianism developed from Persian polytheism. The prophet Zoroaster promoted a form of dualism, where one true god represented all that was good, and a corrupted spirit represented evil. Once the Persian emperors adopted Zoroastrianism, they gave control of it to scholar-priests called Magi. Zoroastrianism influenced the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Zoroastrianism had a strong social and political message, providing a rationale for the rule of Persian kings.

Persia’s attempts to subdue the Greeks and their subsequent failure to perceive the danger posed by the Macedonians proved fatal. Alexander the Great conquered Persia, sacking its capital Persepolis in 330 BCE. Alexander’s empire collapsed after his death and a number of successor states emerged in Persia to take its place, including the Seleucid kingdom, the Parthian Empire, and the Sasanian Empire.

Ancient and Classical Greece

Greek civilization can be traced to a non-Greek population, the Minoans, who established a flourishing and prosperous culture on Crete by 2000 B.C.E. In decline by about 1450 B.C.E., Minoan culture gave way to the rise of the Mycenaeans, a Greek people who had had extensive contact with the Minoans. Around 1200 BCE, the Mycenaean world experienced the same disruptions and devastation wrought by the invasions of the "Sea Peoples". Greece entered a period known as the "dark ages" that lasted until the 700s BCE. Great city-states emerged from this period and their dynamic societies made enduring contributions to our Western heritage. This period also marked the beginning of the greatest Greek accomplishments in philosophy, history writing, art, politics, and literature. Rationalism—the basis for Greek philosophy—was among the Greeks’ lasting contributions to Western civilization. The chapter compares the societies of Athens and Sparta and describes how political participation and warfare fostered philosophical questioning and artistic innovation.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this week's module, students will be able to:

  1. Examine the rise of the Persian Empire and their culture and institutions
  2. Examine the Mycenaean civilization and its contribution to Greek culture
  3. Explore the military system of ancient Greece and the Persian Wars