Darius thoroughly revised the Persian system of administration and also the legal code. Introduction Darius the Great...
Persia
While Cyrus seems to have accepted the crown of Media, by 546 BCE, he had officially assumed...
It is often referenced as a Zoroastrian heresy because it departed significantly from central Zoroastrian beliefs. Introduction...
Zoroastrianism was adopted by the Achaemenid Empire, the Parthian Empire, and found its fullest expression under the...
Ancient Persia had the same interest in what happens after death as any culture in the present...
The ancient Persian religious tradition was passed down orally, and the only written texts relating to it...
A wide-ranging new Getty book examines the role of text and image across cultures over the thousand-year...
Iran’s traditional music carries messages of beauty, joy, sorrow and love to the world. Introduction Weaving through...
Although often engaged in conquest, the Sassanids also entered into peace treaties and engaged in widespread trade....
The Achaemenid Empire was a period of artistic growth that left an extraordinary architectural legacy. Introduction Achaemenid...
Persepolis has a long and complex history, designed to be the central city of the ever expanding...
How the early Persians worshipped their gods is unknown except that it involved fire and outdoor altars....
Dogs played a major role in religious rituals as recorded by Zoroastrian texts. Introduction Dogs have been...
Introduction The mythology of any civilization reflects its core values, greatest fears, and highest hopes and so...
Training for the army began at the age of 15 (five for Persian nobility). Introduction The ancient...
He looted the city and burned it to the ground. Introduction In the year 330 BCE Alexander...
Persian governors and the satrapy system established the paradigm recognizable in the present day of a central...
Cyrus drew on earlier models of Akkadian and Assyrian administration and greatly improved them. Introduction The government...
Their name has since come to be associated with their chief modus operandi, the act of murder...
The conquered areas of Elam, Media, Lydia, Babylonia, Egypt, and several eastern Iranian tribes were more or...
Inscriptions ranging from the first Persian king, Cyrus, through Artaxerxes reveal elements in common in both Babylonian...
The Persian Army became a multi-cultural force consisting of a fusion of soldiers from Persia or the...
Even if a treaty by this name was never drawn up, it is true that there was...
Persian gained prominence as a literary language and a lingua franca—a common cultural language—about a thousand years...
Throughout history, Iran was always a cradle of science, contributing to medicine, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. Introduction...
After looting its treasures, Alexander burned the great palace and surrounding city to the ground, as Xerxes...
Figure 1: Greek Colonization of western Asia Minor / Image by Alexikoua, Wikimedia Commons The development of...
A general overview of the ruins at Miletos / Photo by John Hansen, Wikimedia Commons It can...
Iran has one of the richest art heritages in the world and is home to a number of art...
Tachara Palace of Darius I, Ancient Persepolis / Photo by Hansueli Krapf, Wikimedia Commons The Persians serve an...