Persian Empire Research Paper

The Persian Empire of Mesopotamia was the largest and most powerful empire of the Ancient Near East civilizations. The Persian Empire had engaged in a series of wars, also known as the Persian Wars of Expansion, which was beneficial for the empire. After conquering and taking over many other civilizations, they gained more power and control. In addition to gaining more power, the Persian Empire had also gained more land, which can help the empire economically, politically, and socially. By warring, conquering and gaining control over other empires, the Persian Empire made its way to the top of all ancient civilizations.
The Persian Empire was one of the most successful empires in world history that ruled for more than a thousand years. The
first individuals to settle on the Persian land were from the Aryan tribes, the Medes, and the Persians. The fertile geographical features such as the immense mountain ranges, desserts, and plateau had helped these people establish a region. The beginning of the Persian Empire started with a revolt against the rulers of Media, who initially had authority over the three groups. This revolt was led by Cyrus the Great, who then invaded more colonies and lands and established the first Persian Empire. After the death of Cyrus the Great, other emperors such as Darius and Xerxes take over and continue conquering more lands to build a stronger and more powerful empire.
The Persian Empire had a strong and large army that could not be defeated. The Persian Army was made up of millions of soldiers. With the loyal citizens of the country, the army is ready to fight enemies with twice as many soldiers as their opponent. The army was very dependent on the bow, which was one of the major factors that helped the victories of the wars. Armor was not a feature that the army needed, for the soldiers were well-trained and maneuvered themselves well enough. The armor was expensive, and most importantly, heavy which can hold back the troops. Having a large and strong military is an important component in successful conquests and wars, which were one way the Persian Empire had gained more power and expanded their lands.
Led by Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus II, Persia was able to conquer Media. Media originally had control over the Persians when the civilization first began. After the revolt that Cyrus had led, he took control over Media’s land and government. This conquest was a major cause of the empire because this was the start of the Persian Empire. From this point on, Persian emperors continued to expand the empire and conquer more land to benefit them.
After the conquest of the Medes, Cyrus conquers Lydia. The Lydians had conquered the Ionian Greeks which had helped them gain more power. Meanwhile, the Persian Empire was gaining more power as well. The Lydians, who didn’t like the competition, attacked Persia. The Persians were ready to battle as usual; after a few battles, the Persians eventually gained control over the Lydians which helped expand their lands even further.
King Darius led the army and defeated the Ionia Greeks after their unsuccessful revolt, and the rest of Ionia fell back under Persian rule. The Ionian land rested on the border of the Ionian Sea. Ever since the time of Cyrus the great, the Ionians were subjected under Persian rule. A revolt had started and the Ionian Greeks aimed to drive their rulers out. After many battles, the Persians won due to the disunity of the Greeks. Once again, the Persian Empire gained more power and conquered more land. This land was beneficial to the empire because of the geography; located by the sea, trade was easier and quicker for the Persians.
Xerxes I leads his army and conquers Egypt after a revolt. Xerxes I was left was no other choice but to take over Egypt. The laws were made more strict, temples and religious shrines were ruined. These were ruined because they were thought to be the causes of the revolt to begin with. This conquest benefited the Persians; the land had expanded and there was more control over the citizens.
After a revolt broke out in Babylonia, Xerxes was forced to defeat and punish the empire.
Once again, the territories were destroyed. Citizens were forced to adapt to Persian cultures and ideas. This had helped the empire spread cultural beliefs and it also gained more control, power, and land.
Darius helped expand the empire’s boundaries. Darius led the army into northwest India, and immediately took control over the territory. After this conquest, Darius aimed westwards, and brought Thrace and Macedonia under his control, along with the people. This had a major impact on the Persian Empire because with more land and more people to rule over, social beliefs and cultural ideas will spread rapidly, and influence other countries as well.
As we can tell, the Persian Empire had improved economically, politically, and socially due to the Persian Wars of Expansion. Economically, the empire had improved in trade from gaining more land. Politically, the emperors that ruled over this period of time had helped the economic growth as well as having more power over people. Socially, the empire’s cultural ideas and social beliefs had been widespread and influenced other countries around because of the people that practiced the same beliefs on this vast amount of
land.

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