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Darius and the Empire
Darius the Great, He was the third King of Persia and ruled whenn the empire was at its peak, when it included much of West Asia, parts of Thrace-Macedonia and Paeonia, most of the Black Sea coastal regions, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east, and portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt.
Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing Gaumata, the alleged usurper of Bardiya with the assistance of six other Persian noble families; The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time.
A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens their aid in the Ionian Revolt. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades, and the island of Naxos, and the sacking and enslavement of the city of Eretria
Later tradition credits Darius with the creation of an imperial organization. In reality, this must have been a long-lasting process that became visible in the reign of Darius.The Persians did not have at their disposal an administrative and bureaucratic tradition with which to replace the institutions of conquered nations. The best option after a conquest was to keep the local structure in place, more often than not including the local magnates.
Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing Gaumata, the alleged usurper of Bardiya with the assistance of six other Persian noble families; The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time.
A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens their aid in the Ionian Revolt. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades, and the island of Naxos, and the sacking and enslavement of the city of Eretria
Later tradition credits Darius with the creation of an imperial organization. In reality, this must have been a long-lasting process that became visible in the reign of Darius.The Persians did not have at their disposal an administrative and bureaucratic tradition with which to replace the institutions of conquered nations. The best option after a conquest was to keep the local structure in place, more often than not including the local magnates.
Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. He founded Persian by merging two Iranian tribes Medes and the Persians.The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted between 29 and 31 years. Cyrus built his empire by conquering first the Median Empire, and eventually the Neo Babylonian Empire. After Babylon, he led an expedition into central Asia, which resulted in campaigns. Unlike most emperors, Cyrus the Great respected and kept the religious and cultural beliefs of the countries and territories that he conquered. He is recognized for his achievements in human rights and fairness. He influenced the ancient world from Persia all the way to Athens.
The Satrapies
Well before Darius, satraps governed parts of the empire, but the creation of satrapies is usually, attributed to Darius.
He created twenty - three satrapies, the satraps governed by taxation and administrative districts.
The chance of rebellion was always at risk, since the satraps were far from Persepolis they could build alliances with the local tribes and revolt. To eliminate the possibility of revolt, each satrapy had a contingent of military officers and tax collectors who served as checks of the satraps power and independence. Plus, the rulers decided to create spies, known as "the eyes and ears of the king", these spies served as independent forces that checked by surprise audits on the satraps, this helped to collect information and control the satraps power.
It seems sure that neither the list of districts given by Herodotus, nor the lands and peoples enumerated in some of the royal inscriptions, are complete lists of satrapies. In any case, the two accounts do not match, despite much scholarly effort to harmonize them. It is also not certain whether the division in satrapies remained unchanged, in numbers and in relative borderlines, during the whole of the Achaemenid period. It seems safest to describe a satrapy as the territory over which a satrap was given military and civil command by the king.
Achaemid Administration
Herodotus describes the fiscal organization of the empire. He lists twenty provinces, which he says the Persians called "satrapies," and gives the relative amounts of taxes they paid. Despite this rather precise information, the details of the system are not quite accurate It is not clear which parts of these taxes served the needs of the local or the regional administration, and how much went directly to the royal headquarters. The taxes delivered in coins were melted down and stored in large earthenware jars in the treasuries. Whenever the king was in need of money, he had the jars broken and used the bullion. This cannot have happened very frequently, for the amount of precious metal reportedly found by Alexander III "the Great" in the royal residences of Susa, Babylon, Persepolis, and Pasargadae was fabulous. Besides, use of coinage as such seems to have been limited to the western parts of the empire.
Apart from taxation, the rulers built good road systems, known as the "Royal Roads", some parts that were paved with stone reached 1,600 miles. The Persians improved routes between Mesopotamia and Egypt, Persia and India.
The construction of roads facilitated economic trade, communication and military movement.
Herodotus describes the fiscal organization of the empire. He lists twenty provinces, which he says the Persians called "satrapies," and gives the relative amounts of taxes they paid. Despite this rather precise information, the details of the system are not quite accurate It is not clear which parts of these taxes served the needs of the local or the regional administration, and how much went directly to the royal headquarters. The taxes delivered in coins were melted down and stored in large earthenware jars in the treasuries. Whenever the king was in need of money, he had the jars broken and used the bullion. This cannot have happened very frequently, for the amount of precious metal reportedly found by Alexander III "the Great" in the royal residences of Susa, Babylon, Persepolis, and Pasargadae was fabulous. Besides, use of coinage as such seems to have been limited to the western parts of the empire.
Apart from taxation, the rulers built good road systems, known as the "Royal Roads", some parts that were paved with stone reached 1,600 miles. The Persians improved routes between Mesopotamia and Egypt, Persia and India.
The construction of roads facilitated economic trade, communication and military movement.