Ancient Persia and the Persian Empire

The Ancient Persians (modern Iran) are more familiar to us than the other empire builders of Mesopotamia or the Ancient Near East, the  Sumerians,  Babylonians, and  Assyrians, not only because the Persians were more recent, but because they were amply described by the Greeks. Just as one man, Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great), ultimately wore the Persians down quickly (in about three years), so the Persian Empire rose to power quickly under the leadership of  Cyrus the Great. The extent of Persia varied, but at its height, it extended southwards to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean; to the east and northeast, the Indus and Oxus rivers; to the north, the Caspian Sea and Mt. Caucasus; and to the west, the Euphrates River. This territory includes desert, mountains, valleys, and pastures. At the time of the ancient Persian Wars, the Ionian Greeks and Egypt were under Persian dominion. Western Cultural Identity and the Persian Army We in the West are accustomed to seeing the Persians as the them to a Greek us. There was no Athenian-style democracy for the Persians, but an absolute monarchy that denied the individual, common man his say in political life. The most important part of the Persian army was a seemingly fearless elite fighting group of 10,000, known as The Immortals because when one was killed another would be promoted to take his place. Since all men were eligible for combat until age 50, manpower was not an obstacle, although to ensure loyalty, the original members of this immortal fighting machine were Persians or Medes. Cyrus the Great Cyrus the Great, a religious man and adherent of Zoroastrianism, first came to power in Iran by overcoming his in-laws, the Medes (c. 550 B.C.)—the conquest made easy by many defectors, becoming the first ruler of the Achaemenid Empire (the first of the Persian Empires). Cyrus then made peace with the Medes and cemented the alliance by creating not just Persian, but Median sub-kings with the Persian title khshathrapavan (known as satraps) to rule the provinces. He also respected area religions. Cyrus conquered the Lydians, the Greek colonies on the Aegean coast, the Parthians, and Hyrcanians. He conquered Phrygia on the south shore of the Black Sea. Cyrus set up a fortified border along the Jaxartes River in the Steppes, and in 540 B.C., he conquered the Babylonian Empire. He established his capital in a cold area, Pasargadae (the Greeks called it Persepolis), contrary to the wishes of the Persian aristocracy. He was killed in battle in 530. The successors of Cyrus conquered Egypt, Thrace, Macedonia, and spread the Persian Empire east to the Indus River. Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanids Alexander the Great put an end to the Achaemenid rulers of Persia. His successors ruled the area as the Seleucids, intermarrying with native populations and covering a large, fretful area that soon broke up into divisions. The Parthians gradually emerged as the next major Persian power ruling in the area. The Sassanids or Sassanians overcame the Parthians after a few hundred years and ruled with almost constant trouble on their eastern borders as well as to the west, where the Romans contested the territory sometimes through to the fertile area of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) until the Muslim Arabs conquered the area.

Compare and Contrast the demographic and environmental...

Comparative Essay The Columbian exchange affected many regions all over the world. The Americas and Europe were similar in their changing population densities caused by diseases and goods. Also Europe and the Americas both benefited from the exchange of foreign crops and livestock across the Triangle trade routes. However, Europe and the Americas were different in their migration of peoples. The effects of the Columbian Exchange was similar in Europe and the Americas because of their changing population growth and the diffusion of goods to each country but differed in their expansion of territory. The Americas and Europe were similar because both of†¦show more content†¦The introduction of horses to Native Americans changed their life in both good and bad ways. The reason for this is because horses made farming more efficient. Horses could pull plows that were too heavy for the Natives. Horses also gave the Native Americans advantages in war by providing them a height advantage over their enemies. However, horses also brought many diseases that killed off most of the Natives. Tobacco is a great example of a new product thatShow MoreRelatedNespresso Co. Analysis15084 Words   |  61 Pagesand the service). The first ones expire in 2012, until then, the company as a complete monopoly. Nespresso is giving licenses to several industrial companies (such as Krups, Magimix, Alessi and Saeco in France) in order to produce the machines in exchange for royalties. The machines are then sold in malls, and all kinds of store selling household electrical applicants (Darty, Boulanger in France). However, the distribution of the capsules is completely different. The capsules are only sold in â€Å"confidential†

Breaking Norms Free Essays

Breaking Norms Over the first few weeks of the semester we have gone over many topics such as mores, taboos, rules, regulations, and laws. But there is one topic that stood out the most and that was the idea of norms. Norms are much more different than that of mores, taboos, rules, regulations, and laws. We will write a custom essay sample on Breaking Norms or any similar topic only for you Order Now Rules, regulations, and laws are clearly defined and outlined rules that the public must abide by. Mores are a set of norms that define fundameental ideas about what is considered right, wrong, or moral. Taboos are norms that society strongly holds so much that violating one would result in extreme disgust. But norms on the other hand are quiet different. Norms as defined by the text are the informal, unwritten rules that guide people’s behavior. Last week we were given the assignment to pick a norm of our liking that didn’t include breaking any laws, taboos, or mores. After taking time to truly think over which social norm I would break I chose one that particularly gets under my skin and that was sitting next to someone in an open area. To break this norm I would go to an rea that was a sparsely populated with pretty open seating and instead of sitting far away from people as most people would, I would choose to sit right next or at least closer than most. I chose to conduct my experiment at Laurel Park Mall in Livonia near my mother’s job. Like I stated before I hate when there is an abundance of seats to choose from and someone chooses to sit next to me especially if I that person I a complete stranger. Before I did the experiment I felt really weird because I knew that this was gonna be really awkward and I knew how people were gonna feel because How to cite Breaking Norms, Papers Breaking norms Free Essays The first norm that I broke was done at a busy street downtown. I was with my friend to help me evaluate the reaction of the people around me when I was doing the thing. I planned to execute the â€Å"breaking norm activity† during rush hour so that I would be able to get good reactions since many people are walking the busy street. We will write a custom essay sample on Breaking norms or any similar topic only for you Order Now As my friend and I arrived at the busy street, I lied down like a dead person at the middle of the street where hundreds of people are passing by. As soon as I lied down, a woman at my back was frightened that I just automatically feel down in front of her. However, she had soon recovered from her shocked reaction when I smiled at her and continued what I am doing. Many people had bumped each other so that they would not step on me. I was surprised that even though I laid there like a silly man, several people still considered me since they had been very careful not to step on me. The lying down like a silly man or even like a dead man continued for almost thirty minutes. For half an hour, I already created a secluded part in the middle of the busy street. I even extended for another thirty minutes of lying down at the busy street. It was then a woman together with a five-year old kid passed by. Maybe out of curiosity of the five-year-old boy, he came back to where I am lying. He was holding an ice cold coca-cola can. He tried to touch me and waited for my reaction. When I tried to ignore him and have not responded to his touch, he desperately touched my hand with the ice-cold cola he was holding. I was shocked that I shouted ouch! to the boy. He was frightened in just a couple of seconds but had recovered when her mother approached her already. I felt sorry for the kid but I pretended that I do not have any reaction to what happened. I even have heard the mother talking to her child. She said that next time, do not talk to strangers or do not ever approached anyone especially if the person feels like stupid or the person is like a mentally disturbed one. I chuckled to the thought that I looked like a mentally disabled person. For one hour of lying there in the middle of the street I have realized that some people are still (â€Å"Breaking Norms) (â€Å"Page # 2) considerate of the people around them whereas some people also are frightened of the consequences that stupid or mentally disabled people can do to their children. I have also realized that children are keen observer and they always do something to get attention from the people around them. The second activity I have done for breaking the norm was in the beach. Over the weekends, I went to a popular beach to execute my assignment. As I arrived to the beach, I surveyed the area and the first thing I secured is the presence of lifeguards. I saw three lifeguards visible at their posts securing that everything is fine in the water. Then I estimated that people in the beach doing their own activities are quite enough for me get attention. As I have secured everything that I need for the success of the activity, I ran to the water and went to the part where the water level is just below my shoulders. The tides were small and it is not dangerous for me to act as if I am drowning. I can swim well so that if my plan will not work I will be able to save my own self. I acted even more by raising my hands and really pretended that I am drowning. At the count of three, I heard someone near me shouting for help. Help! Help! Someone is drowning! Then immediately, a couple of the beach goers helped me to get near the shore. When my lifesavers and I were half way to the shore, the lifeguards arrived. It was then when I realized that lifeguards on that beach are not that fat to rescue if ever there are problems on the water. One of the lifeguards asked me if I am just fine or I need some medicine or first aid to keep me calm. I said that I am just fine and thanked them. I also thanked the couple who saved my life. I sat down at the shore and watched the people on the water. I have observed that for almost five to ten minutes, there is tension in the water. The children went on the shore to observe, the same thing as what I did. The parents or the adults have also observed somehow to make sure that the water is safe for them to enjoy swimming. The norm that I had just done is sociologically (â€Å"Breaking Norms) (â€Å"Page # 3) inappropriate since I have ruined the day of those swimmers. They somehow had a frightened reaction because of what happened. The incident also created a realization in my part that lifeguards were not the first to rescue in scenarios like that. I hope that I was only mistaken. Social norms when broken sometimes require some punishment from authorities. The punishment will depend upon how heavy was the action or mistake done (Asbourne). Reference: Ashbourne, Craig. â€Å"The Punishment for Breaking Norms or Trans-Phobia†Swimming Against the (Main)stream Current (2007). 11 June 2007 http://swimmingagainstthemainstream. blogspot. com/2007/02/punishment-for-breaking- norms-or-trans. html How to cite Breaking norms, Papers

The Hunt Scene in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight free essay sample

Analysis of the hunt scene in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This paper analyzes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and takes a look at the traditional symbols used, including the all-important hunt scene. As Section III opens, Bercilak, the liege-lord of the land, as eager as an impatient bridegroom, bolts his breakfast before riding the hunt with his men. The dogs are unleashed as couples to a bugle fanfare reminiscent of the bridal belling to which wedded couples have been treated throughout history. The leashes are cast away, (s.46), so the hounds are free of constraint in order to pursue their beloved prey, the deer. The lord commands that only the does should be driven to the valley, and the dogs chase the frightened females to that most feminine symbol of nature, the deep chasms between the hills. There, the dogs herd the prey and snatch down any does who dare bolt, like some medieval inversion of the Sadie Hawkins chase. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hunt Scene in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Stanza 47 ends with the trimetric four lines (what translator Tolkien calls the wheel describing the rest of the hunt, which finds the lord wild with joy at their success; the short three-beat meter adds a lilting, triumphant note to their endeavors. Oft spur and oft alight is a phrase which seems to prance like deer and hounds when read aloud.