HUMA 1860 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Angra Mainyu, Amesha Spenta, Achaemenid Empire
25 Nov 2016
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HUMA 1860 Chapter 8 and 9
Chapter 9: Persia and Central Asia
Three Persian Dynasties
• The Achaemenid Dynasty (approx. 550 B.C.E. – 330 B.C.E.)
• Founded by Cyrus the Great, king of the Persians, defeated by Alexander the
Great and his successors the Seleucids.
• The Parthian Dynasty (247 B.C.E. – 224 B.C.E.)
• The Sassanid Dynasty (224 B.C.E. – 651 B.C.E.)
Zoroastrianism
• Monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Zarathustra/Zoroaster.
• Belief in one supreme God called Ahura Mazda.
• Zoroastrianism predates the Achaemenid Empire but became the official religion of the
Empire under Cyrus.
• During the Parthian Empire many other Greek cults became influential.
• Zoroastrianism once again rose to the fore during the Sassanid Empire, though during
this time there were significant changes to the doctrines of Zoroastrianism.
Key Terms
• Monotheism – belief in a single personal god
• Zoroastrianism – pre-Islamic religion of Persia, i.e. Iran – combines dualism and
monotheism
Cyrus II the Great (r. ca. 550-530 BCE)
• Expanded into Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), where he conquered the kingdom of
Lydia.
• Conquered Neo-Babylonia in Mesopotamia and the Phoenician city-states in Syria.
• Persia conquered Egypt in 525 BCE.
Achaemenid Dynasty
• Most kigs prayed to the god Ahuraazda of the )oroastrias.
Shahinshah: kig of kigs or eperor, the title of Persia rulers.
Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE)
• Son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, who unified the country of Macedonia, the one
Greek area that remained outside Persian control.
• Alexander was tutored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
• Succeeded his father as King of Macedonia and invaded the Achaemenid Empire in 334
BCE.
• Had the imperial palace burned in the town of Persepolis, an act of revenge for the
destruction of the Acropolis by the Persians.
Key Texts
• Avesta, consisting of Gathas, or hymns composed by Zarathustra.
• Zend: Exegetical commentaries on the texts in the Avesta
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 9: persia and central asia: the achaemenid dynasty (approx. 330 b. c. e. : founded by cyrus the great, king of the persians, defeated by alexander the. Great and his successors the seleucids: the parthian dynasty (247 b. c. e. 224 b. c. e. : the sassanid dynasty (224 b. c. e. Zoroastrianism: monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet zarathustra/zoroaster, belief in one supreme god called ahura mazda, zoroastrianism predates the achaemenid empire but became the official religion of the. Empire under cyrus: during the parthian empire many other greek cults became influential, zoroastrianism once again rose to the fore during the sassanid empire, though during this time there were significant changes to the doctrines of zoroastrianism. Key terms: monotheism belief in a single personal god, zoroastrianism pre-islamic religion of persia, i. e. iran combines dualism and monotheism. 550-530 bce: expanded into anatolia (modern-day turkey), where he conquered the kingdom of.
