Ancient Persia

First Persian War

Marathon (First Persian War) After the Ionian Revolt of 499 BC, the Persians and their king Darius wanted to conquer Greece more than ever. Persia wanted to extend its territory. Also, the Greeks had helped the Ionians to revolt against the Persians, and had marched to Sardis and burned the city. The Persians condemned the Greeks as invading terror...

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Illustrated Persian Wars

Dr. J's Illustrated Persian Wars. The Classical Age begins with the monumental Greek victory over the Persians in what have become known to us as the Persian Wars. Pericles makes reference to these wars when he boasts about the previous generation of Athenians' success in "stemming the tide of foreign aggression." The Persian Wars were really a s...

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A Religion Founded by the Prophet Zoroaster

The Mythology of Ancient Persia: Stems from A Religion Founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in the 6th century Ancient Persia occupied the land that is now modern Iran. Persia is a land of stark contrasts: a land of barren deserts and tropical jungles, of snowy mountains and fertile valleys. There are regions where apple trees and date palms grow with...

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Beaker With Geometric Designs And Birds

Archaeologists working in Iran at the site of Tepe Giyan during 1931 and 1932 excavated 119 burials dating to five successive periods. Among the vessels characteristic of the Giyan II Period were ones whose decoration combined geometric patterns with representations of small suns and birds. This beaker, acquired by the archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld ...

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SPOUTED GRAY-WARE PITCHER

Around 1200 B.C. monochrome wares were introduced in many parts of Iran and replaced the earlier painted pottery. These new, frequently burnished, wares occur in both a reddish-orange and a dark gray variety. The gray wares, of which this long-spouted pitcher is a characteristic example, were given their color by special firing in an oxygen-reducin...

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Tomb of Darius I, Close-up of King and God.

IRAN: Naqsh-i-Rustam - Tomb of Darius I, Close-up of King and God....

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Thermopylae

Termopylae After the Athenians beat the Persians in the First Persian War, at the battle of Marathon, the Persians left the Greeks alone for ten years. The Persians were busy fighting a revolt in Egypt, and their king Darius had died. But as soon as Darius' son Xerxes (ZERK-sees) settled the Egyptian revolt, he began to plan how he would conquer t...

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Persian Myths, The Gods of Ancient Persia

The religious texts of the Zoroastrians are rich with information on the ancient Persians and their gods. These texts include the Avesta and later sources such as the Bundahishn and Denkard. Within the Avesta, the gods, heroes and fabulous creatures mostly appear in the section known as the Yasht. Here, myths of 'pre-Zoroastrian' origin which refle...

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Achaemenid Military Equipment

The Achaemenid Empire, one of the most powerful ancient civilizations, had a formidable military that played a significant role in its success and expansion. The Achaemenid military was well-equipped with a variety of weapons and armor that were advanced for their time. One of the most iconic pieces of Achaemenid military equipment was the scimita...

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THE PERSIAN WARS - The Size of Persian Fleet

The problem of the size of the Persian army can be illuminated by considering the size of the Persian fleet, since there must have been a proportion between the two forces. Herodotus reports that the fleet consisted of 1207 triremes and 3000 lesser fighting ships and supply ships (VII 89, 184). The figure of 1207 triremes is itemized by specifying ...

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