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Languages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Empire was founded by nomadic Persians, and Old Persian was its primary language. Imperial Aramaic was commonly used as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the early days of the Empire, Elamite was used alongside the other two on legal tablets. It was the home language of Susa, the original capital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aramaic was the lingua franca most commonly used in written communication between regions that spoke different languages. Due to the size of the empire, dozens of other languages were spoken throughout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Religious Tolerance\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cyrus the Great<\/a> ushered in a period of religious freedom.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Old Testament, he freed Jewish prisoners from Babylon and allowed them to return to Jerusalem. This was not an isolated incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wherever he went, Cyrus restored temples and other sacred places to encourage the local populace to practice as they wished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Persians did not worship anthropomorphized deities, and they found such practices laughable. According to Heterodontus, they paid homage to \u201cthe sun and moon, to the earth, to fire, to water, and to the winds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zoroastrianism <\/a>became increasingly common throughout this time period. People who subscribe to this religion <\/a>worship a single god called Ahura Mazda and believe in free will. They follow the dictum Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus the Great <\/a>established a massive army. Then Darius the Great created a navy and established a naval presence in multiple seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The infantry was divided into three groups: the Sparabara (shield bearers), Takabara (garrison warriors), and the Immortals (elite heavy infantry).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sparabara were the front line. Their shield wall protected the more vulnerable fighters, such as archers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They were trained from childhood to become career soldiers and go off to fight in distant lands. Sometimes they wore bronze, but many soldiers had only quilted linen as armor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Immortals were the heart of the army. They numbered ten thousand men at any given time. Any man who fell was immediately replaced, and so they became known as the Immortals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Immortals and their horses were both clad in bronze armor. Some wore scale armor coats, the overlapping bronze scales shining like dragonskin. Others wore brightly-colored robes over their armor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to mounted soldiers and archers in chariots, there was a camel cavalry and even war elephants. Mules and camels carried high-quality food for the soldiers, and concubines traveled along with the caravans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the beginning of the Empire<\/a>, coinage had not yet been introduced in Persis, the home territory of Cyrus the Great. Barter was the norm, though silver bullion was also used.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Cyrus the Great conquered Lydia, home of the world\u2019s first coins, he quickly adopted their coinage system. It wasn\u2019t until the reign of Darius the Great that the Empire began producing their own coins. These golden darics and silver sigloi depicted the king shooting arrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Empire\u2019s busy trade network was linked by a highway system that stretched over 1550 miles. Darius the Great commissioned the Royal Road, which led from Susa in modern-day Iran to Sardis in Lydia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Roadside inns called caravanserai supported the flow of goods throughout the Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chapar Khaneh was a postal system<\/a> started by Cyrus the Great and further developed by Darius. Dedicated messengers stationed along the Royal road could transport messages with astonishing speed, ten times quicker than a man on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is nothing in the world that travels faster than these Persian couriers,\u201d wrote Herodotus. “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery Persian marries many lawful wives,\u201d wrote Herodotus, \u201cand keeps still more concubines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Froohar-1024x310.jpg\")
Military Power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Coinage and Trade Routes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The World\u2019s First Postal Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Lives of Women<\/h2>\n\n\n\n