History's first superpower sprang from ancient Iran

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world . . . Found on a cylindrical tablet in the 19th century, these words commemorate Persia’s conquest of Babylonia and the taking of its capital city, Babylon, in 539 B.C. (Babylon was the jewel of the ancient world.)

After Cyrus came to power in 559 B.C., Persia expanded its holdings to become the world’s original empire. Previously, other peoples such as the Assyrians had held sway over vast tracts of Mesopotamia, but none had reached the geographical extent as Persia, whose territory stretched from eastern Europe to the Indus River. Strengthening the empire, Cyrus’s policy of tolerance toward the conquered allowed local peoples to maintain their languages, traditions, and religions, which in turn allowed Persian culture to benefit from a truly global exchange.

Cyrus’s construction of an imperial identity made up of many religions and languages continues to inspire the modern world. As the Greek historian Xenophon wrote, “Cyrus eclipsed all other monarchs, before or since.”

Origins of empire

When crowned king of Persia in 559 B.C., Cyrus II was little more than a tribal leader of the Parsua (Persian) people who lived in the south of present-day Iran. The latest ruler in the Achaemenian dynasty, Cyrus inherited a kingdom that was effectively a vassal state of the more powerful Median empire to the north.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2016/09-10/dawn-of-ancient-persian-empire/?cmpid=org%3Dngp::mc%3Dcrm-email::src%3Dngp::cmp%3Deditorial::add%3DHistory_20200113&rid=FB26C926963C5C9490D08EC70E179424

[underpants]

1. It's amazing the history we miss due to our Euro-centric focus

the maps don't help either.

[Kurt V.]

2. i love ancient world history. and prehistory. Every person on this planet is likely related to

the 5 or 6 thousand humans that inhabited the area from Egypt to Pakistan.

[pansypoo53219]

3. science & stuff took over encyclopedias. i got 4 1903 free encyclopedia britannicas and started F

and i regret not getting that whole set from the attic years ago. it was so good i searched + searched til i got a 1891 set. not as pretty, but cost about $4. i am re-reading f. 100+ pages of french history. bit brit centric, but i found such cool stuff.