Voila, I present to you: the Persian Empire, and Greek city-states.
Those marble busts of philosophers and mathematicians that you’ve seen in the museums, and 300 (the movie) are probably what come to mind right now. But, first things first, 300 is a restricted movie, so make sure you get parental permission to watch it. And well, those statued men were just a little bit important.
This time period, from 600 BCE to 600 CE was a time of empire building. Smaller states or kingdoms focused on conquering neighbouring places in an effort to expand. This period of expansion would continue until either:
- The empire was defeated by a stronger one,
- or, Internal conflicts like a civil war, over-centralization of government, or failure of economy weakened the empire, ultimately bringing about the end of the empire.
Persia
Empire (550 – 333 BCE)
Originating in modern Iran, the Persian Empire was a vast territory. What allowed this to work was the installment of the satraps (governor of a province). The central administration allowed the satrap to rule relatively autonomously. The position of satrap was hereditary, so the families of these satraps lived in the provinces. There, they learnt the local ways, and connected to the local elite. The Persian rule was based on ideal for willing cooperation. Additionally, the Persian official religion was Zoroastrianism, which was based on a struggle between good and evil, a concept that influences many more religions to come.
Greece
City-states
Each Greek city-state was a Polis. A Polis had an urban center, and rural territory (the equivalent of Medieval Europe’s hinterland). Within each city-state, democracy was installed, but the power was still held by the oligarchy (small, powerful elite). In Athens, only the free Athenian men of direct Athenian ancestry were allowed to participate in democracy. This gave only the 10 – 15% of the population the right to engage in politics. There was an exception to this; the Spartans had a system of equality based on military. (Yes, the Spartans were just as militarily engaged and tough people as they are represented in 300). Also, Athens was at point ruled by a tyrant who tried to imperialize Greece.
Macedonian Empire (338 – 323 BCE)
Alexander the Great was from Macedonia. While the Greek city-states were in a state of war against each other (the Peloponnesian War), Macedonia rose as the superpower. Alexander rose to the throne after his father, Philip II, was assassinated. Alexander conquered the entire Persian Empire, and even reached as far as Indus Valley. He used the same system as the Persians, with autonomous satraps. Alexander did not clarify who will succeed him; after his death, there was a period of chaos when powerful people struggled for powers. In the end, the empire was divided into three: Ptolemaic, Antigonid, and Seleucid kingdoms.
Social Structure
Both civilizations were patriarchal societies, which means that men were dominant. In Persia, however, the female from the elite class were politically powerful. Marriage to these women determined a man’s power and position. In contrast, in Greece, the women were strictly confined to the homes. In fact, bisexuality was common among the Greek people. But again, Sparta was an exception. The women were respected as founders of family lineage.
The Persian hierarchy placed the warriors at the top, then priests, then peasants. In Athens, class depended on farm yield. People were divided into four classes. The top three classes were able to hold political office, while the bottom class was only allowed to attend meetings.
Conflicts
Ionian Revolt (499 – 494 BCE)
Ionia, a Greek territory, was taken over by the Persians. Ionia rebelled, against the Persians, with the help of Eretria and Athens. It took the Persians 5 years to put down the revolt. This failed revolt lead to the next war: the Persian Wars.
Persian Wars (early 5th century BCE)
The Persians Wars was a series, in fact, just two, of attacks lead by the Persians on Athens and Eretria for helping Ionia rebel. In 490, in the Battle of Marathon, 26 km from Athens, the Athenians took the victory. The hoplites (heavily armed infantrymen who fought in close formation) added to their numbers and geography was in their favor. Eretria wasn’t as fortunate, however; they were betrayed to the Persians. The survivors were sent to exile in southwest Iran.
Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BCE)
Since Pisistratus’s tyranny, Athens was aiming to shift to imperialism. They built a strong navy that none of the other Greek states could match. They were the leader of the Delian League, an alliance consisting of many Greek allied states. (There are literally too many for me to list). Sparta and Athens had almost equal networks of alliances in Greece. Since Sparta could not win against Athens’ naval power, they allied with Persia. Ultimately, the Spartans won, and Athens was freed from tyranny.
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