Persia Expands the Boundaries of Empire, Exploration, and Organization
Overview
At the time of its establishment in the sixth century B.C., the Persian Empire was the largest known, and it gave southwestern Asia and adjoining regions an unprecedented degree of organization. The Persians built roads, dug canals, and established the first important postal system in history to maintain communication between the emperor and his satraps, or governors. Known for their religious tolerance, at least in the early days of the empire, the Persians respected the traditions of the people they conquered, for instance allowing the Israelites to rebuild their city of Jerusalem. Through Judaism and later Christianity, their Zoroastrian faith would have a powerful if indirect effect on the spiritual life of the West. Likewise, Persia would exert an enormous political impact through its influence on Greece.
Background
In about 3000 B.C. groups of tribes today known as Indo-Europeans began moving outward from their homeland in what is now south-central Russia. Little is known about these groups, who ultimately scattered from India to Europe; in fact, the only evidence that they even existed is the strong relationship between the languages of Iran, India, and Europe. One group of Indo-Europeans, the Aryans, began moving into the region of modern-day Afghanistan, and between 2000 and 1500 B.C.
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