FARS, FAR AWAY

KIDS

Ancient
DISCOVER

KIDS

Persia
DISCOVER

DOME
SWEET
DOME

WHAT
A
RELIEF!
FRUITS WITH PERSIAN ROOTS

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Ancient_Persia_FC.indd 1 3/13/17 2:18 PM

 2
r THE AREA WHERE
the Persians lived
was Fars, or
Persis, a region
in the south of
present-day Iran.
From Fars, the
Persians built an
empire (orange
on the map) that
stretched east
to the borders of
India and west to
the Mediterranean
Sea. The language
of modern Iran is
called Persian, or
Farsi. The name
Iran comes from
the word Aryan,
which is the name
of the group from
which the Persians
descended.

Thousands of years ago, the land now

The First World Empire occupied by the countries of Iran, Iraq,
and Afghanistan was home to many dif-
ferent groups of people. The Sumerians,
the Babylonians, and the Assyrians ruled
the area in turn. Around 3,300 years ago,
a new group arrived. They were called
Aryans, and they came from central Asia,
l LEGEND HAS IT a small nation. r MUCH OF IRAN IS
that the parents The line of a plateau – a high
of Cyrus II were a Persian kings that flat area. It is
Persian nobleman descended from encircled by the
and the daughter Cyrus is called Zagros Mountains
of a king of the the Achaemenid in the north and
Medes. So when dynasty. A dynasty the Hindu Kush
Cyrus conquered is a series of Mountains in the
the Medes, he rulers from the east. Deserts
actually defeated same family. cover much of the
his own grand- plateau. Some fer-
father. On his tile valleys exist in
Persian side, Fars and provinces
Cyrus traced his farther east.
ancestry back
to Achaemenes
(ak-uh-MEEN-eez).
According to leg- Why does the
end, Achaemenes year 585 BCE
had formed come before
scattered groups 584 BCE?
of Persians into

Ancient_Persia_2-3.indd 2 3/13/17 2:27 PM

 3

north of the Caspian Sea, an area that 612 BCE, the Medes had conquered the
today is divided between Russia and Assyrians and become the dominant group
Kazakhstan. The Aryans were made up of in the area. But the Medes didn’t rule for
many tribes. One tribe, the Medes, set- long. Around 550 BCE, they were defeated
tled in what is now northern and western by Cyrus II, king of Persia. From this tri-
Iran; their land was called Media. Another umph, Cyrus went on to build the largest
tribe, the Persians, made their home empire the ancient world had ever seen.
farther south, in an area called Fars. By He became known as Cyrus the Great.
d THE ANCIENT monuments. But
Persians didn’t most of our knowl-
write much about edge of ancient
themselves. Some Persia comes from
of what we know the writings of
about them comes Greeks, particularly
from sculptures Herodotus (left).
and inscriptions on This Greek writer
lived around the
5th century BCE
and is sometimes
called the first
historian. Greeks
and Persians were
enemies for many
centuries, and this
may have affected
some of the things
Herodotus wrote
about ancient
Persia.

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 4

Kings of the
Persian Empire
From 550 BCE until 465
BCE, four kings built the
Persian Empire. They r CYRUS THE GREAT
also defended it against
was a fair ruler.
He allowed each
rebellions by people they group that he
had conquered. But the conquered to keep
its own language,
Babylonia, an area
that lay between
inder, Cyrus vowed
to allow people the
Cyrus allowed
captive Jews to
last two kings reached customs, and present-day Babylonians had return to Palestine,
too far and failed to religion. The Cyrus Baghdad, Iraq, and enslaved to return which was also
accomplish their goals. Cylinder records
his conquest of
the Persian Gulf. In
the text on the cyl-
to their homelands.
True to his word,
under his rule.

WHEN CYRUS DIED OF died under myste-

battle wounds rious circumstanc-
in 530 BCE, his es along the way.
son Cambyses II The leader of the
(cam-BY-seez) rebellion was killed
became king. In by seven nobles.
525 BCE, Cambyses One of them was
easily conquered Darius (da-RYE-
Egypt (where he us). He became
is shown below, king in 522 BCE.
under umbrella). Darius was from
In 522 BCE, he left another branch of
Egypt to return to the Achaemenid
Persia to stop a family.
rebellion, but he

Ancient_Persia_4-5.indd 4 3/13/17 2:30 PM

 5
Darius conquered
Thrace, an area
north of Greece,
but he failed to
take over the Greek
mainland. In 490
BCE, a large force of

What does a marathon race have to do with the Battle of Marathon?

Persians attacked
a smaller Greek
force at Marathon.
The Persians were
defeated. Darius
u DARIUS WAS not subdue the retreated to Persia,
determined to Scythians. At the where he died in
extend the empire same time, Persian 486 BCE.
into Europe. He got scouts mapped the
as far as southern coasts of Greece
Russia but could and southern Italy.

u DARIUS SPENT rial carved into a and calls himself

a year stopping cliff at Behistun “king of kings,”
revolts in differ- (BAY-his-TOON). a title adopted
ent parts of the In the inscription, by later rulers of
empire. He then Darius states his Persia.
had a large memo- right to the throne

r THE PERSIANS
borrowed from the
people they con-
quered. The sea- u DARIUS WAS empire. With these Persians lost sev-
faring Phoenicians succeeded by his men and a naval eral battles and
provided Persian son Xerxes (ZURK- fleet of hundreds had to retreat to
kings with ships seez), above. of ships, he invad- their homeland
to use for trad- Advisers persuaded ed Greece. The without having
ing. Imitating Xerxes to avenge Persians defeated subdued the
the Lydians, the his father’s defeat the Greeks at Greeks. Xerxes
Persians replaced in Greece, and in Thermopylae, was assassinated
a barter system 480 BCE, Xerxes put and Xerxes then in 465 BCE. He was
with coins, mak- together an army marched to Athens the first Persian
ing long-distance of hundreds of and burned down emperor who had
trade easier. Coins thousands of men the city. However, failed to expand
pictured the king from all over the after that, the the empire.
and spread his
image through-
out the empire. r THE PERSIAN neither the civilian
Trade required rulers divided nor the military
record keeping, their empire into leader could wield How did the
so the Persians 20 satrapies, or too much power. troops of Darius
hired Babylonian provinces. The king Under Cyrus, and Xerxes “walk
scribes. The appointed a gover- each satrapy sent on water”?
scribes kept nor called a satrap gifts to the king.
accounts in to rule each one. Darius made the
their language, A separate military arrangement more
Akkadian, which commander for formal by estab-
became an official each satrapy also lishing a system
language of the reported directly to of taxation for
empire. the king. This way, the satrapies.

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 Rich Folk

l IN NOBLE FAMILIES, to read and l BOTH MEN AND Persian army

mothers cared for write, while girls women wore long large, men were
their sons until the learned to spin robes gathered at encouraged to
age of five; then the thread, weave the waist. Noble marry young,
boys were placed in cloth, and play men dominated have more than
their fathers’ care. an instrument. Persian society, one wife, and
Boys learned to ride Children were but some wealthy have many chil-
horses and to shoot taught to always women owned dren. Families
with a bow and tell the truth. property and trav- were rewarded
arrow. Some sons Lying was the eled far to manage for having sons.
of nobles learned greatest shame. it. To keep the

Persian Society
Persian society was strictly
divided. At the top was an
all-powerful king. Below
the king were a few thou-
sand wealthy nobles. Even
nobles had to lie facedown
in the presence of the king
and avoid eye contact with
him. Below nobles on the
and glass from Egypt,
and spices and gold dust
from India. There was a
small lower middle class of
social scale were mer- skilled workers – bakers,
chants, who traded purple butchers, carpenters, and
dyes and textiles from artisans. At the bottom of
Phoenicia, perfumes from society were millions of
Arabia (present-day Saudi poor people. These farm-
Arabia and lands north), hands, herders, servants,
timber from Crete, grains and laborers worked hard

Ancient_Persia_6-7.indd 6 3/13/17 2:32 PM

 Poor Folk 7

u THE HOMES OF THE the homes of the read, but they

poor were built of rich were made enjoyed stories
sun-dried bricks of limestone or and poems recited
made from mud bricks baked in from memory.
and straw, and ovens. There were Music was an
they did not have beds, chairs, and important part of
much furniture. tables, and some the culture, and
Families sat and homes were built harps, flutes,
slept on rugs around a courtyard and tambourines
that covered the with pools. Many were popular
floor. In contrast, Persians couldn’t instruments.

but made barely enough

l BARLEY WAS ONE u EARLY PERSIANS Zoroastrianism the
of the main crops prayed to many state religion, but
to keep themselves alive. that Persian farm- nature gods. other religions still
Most Persians lived in ers grew. It was
ground into flour
Sometime between
the 9th and 6th cen-
existed. Zoroaster
preached that life
the country. The king to make flatbread. turies BCE, a prophet was a struggle
owned all the land, but Other major crops named Zarathustra between good and
he granted large estates were lentils,
beans, peas, let-
(Zoroaster in Greek)
introduced the idea
evil, and each per-
son could choose
to nobles, who had to tuce, figs, grapes, of worshipping between the two.
supply the king with sesame seeds one god, Ahura Some people follow
men and weapons for (for oil), cotton,
and flax. Herders
Mazda (above
right). The religion
Zoroaster today,
particularly in India
his army. raised cattle, grew in popularity. and Iran.
sheep, and goats. King Darius made

Ancient_Persia_6-7.indd 7 3/13/17 2:32 PM

 8

Royal Roads, With the taxes they

collected from people
they ruled, the Persian
and canals. They brought
workers, craftspeople, and
materials from all over the
Canals, and kings financed mas-
sive building projects.
empire to build their royal
palaces. The palaces were dec-

Palaces These projects includ-

ed palaces, royal roads,
orated with brightly colored
tiles and gem-studded reliefs.

Ancient_Persia_8-9.indd 8 3/13/17 2:33 PM

 9
l TO MAINTAIN CON-
trol throughout
their vast lands,
the Persian kings
needed to move
troops and send
messages rapidly.
So they built a
system of royal
roads. The roads
also encouraged
trade between
different parts
of the empire.
Most of the royal
roads have dis-
appeared, but we
know about two
of them – from
Persepolis to Susa, u WHEN DARIUS
and from Susa to became king, he
Sardis. The latter began building
was 1,600 miles a new capital
long, 20 feet wide, at Persepolis
and made of hard- (pur-SEP-uh-lis).
packed gravel. Xerxes and his
Stations every few son Artaxerxes
miles had stables continued the con-
for donkeys and struction of this
fresh horses for new city.
royal messengers.
All along the roads u CYRUS THE GREAT
were places for located his capital
travelers to eat at Pasargadae
and sleep. An ordi- (puh-SAR-guh-
nary traveler could dee), where he
make the trip from built two palaces.
Susa to Sardis in The buildings
90 days, but royal had huge halls
messengers, riding supported by col-
in relays and stop- umns and were
ping for nothing, decorated with
could make it monumental reliefs u DARIUS BUILT timber from Syria,
in 15 days. (figures carved another palace at gold from Sardis,
into a flat surface). Susa. Like other and silver and
The Persian kings Persian palaces, ebony from Egypt.
were crowned at it was a blend of Stonecutters came
Pasargadae. A styles and building from Ionia, gold-
tomb there (above) techniques from all smiths from Media
is believed to be over the empire. and Egypt, and
that of Cyrus. Materials included woodworkers
from Sardis.

r THE PERSIANS the Arabian Sea. through part of a

built large canals. The canal was Greek peninsula.
Darius had a canal 125 miles long According to
built that joined and was used for Herodotus, two
the Mediterranean more than 1,000 warships, side by
Sea with the Red years. Xerxes, in side, could pass
Sea, shortening planning his inva- through the canal
travel from the sion of Greece, at the same time.
Mediterranean to had a canal dug

Ancient_Persia_8-9.indd 9 3/13/17 2:34 PM

Ancient_Persia_10-11.indd 10 3/13/17 2:34 PM
 STAIRWAY TO
D
arius’s palace
at Persepolis

THE KING was built on top

of a plateau.
Two stairways led to it, and
they were wide enough for
10 soldiers on horseback
to ride side by side. The
apadana, or audience hall,
was big enough to hold
10,000 people. Pillars 60
feet high supported the
gold-rimmed roof, and the
palace complex included
an elaborate water-pump-
ing system.

Ancient_Persia_10-11.indd 11 3/13/17 2:34 PM

 12

Art of Ancient Persia

u THE PERSIANS However, while Persepolis shows
decorated many Assyrian reliefs many delegations
of their monu- showed mainly (selected groups)
mental buildings scenes of war and bringing gifts to
The art of ancient Persia was a with stone relief hunting, Persian the king. Each del-
mixture of artistic traditions. sculptures.
They borrowed
reliefs often rep-
resented proces-
egation wears the
customary clothing
The Persians borrowed from the this idea from sions to the royal of its region.
various peoples they conquered. the Assyrians. court. This relief at
They combined Greek, Egyptian,
Assyrian, and Babylonian styles
with their own to create some-
thing that was uniquely Persian.

l THE TOPS OF
columns were
often decorated
l FROM THE BABYLONIANS, THE PERSIANS with animal
learned to decorate with glazed bricks. figures.
These figures from Susa are made of
bricks that were formed in molds, paint-
ed, and baked in a kiln (oven).

Ancient_Persia_12-13.indd 12 3/13/17 2:36 PM

 13

PERSIAN NOBLES LOVED earrings had

to adorn themselves elaborate designs.
with gold. Bracelets Rings and clothing
u WEALTHY someone poured a and armlets were ornaments com-
Persians dined beverage into the often decorated pleted the well-
from plates and large opening at with animal heads dressed Persian’s
drank from vessels the top. The drink- where they joined, costume.
made of gold and er would catch the and necklaces and
silver. This distinc- liquid in his mouth
tive horn-shaped as it poured out
drinking cup is of a small hole at
called a rhyton. It the front of the
has two openings. animal.
As the drinker held
the cup in the air,

l THERE ARE FEW

remaining ancient
Persian carpets.
The oldest is in a
museum in Russia.
It is thought to
be 2,500 years
old. However,
since Persian rug
makers continued
to use the same
techniques and
designs for hun-
dreds of years
after the end of
the empire, rugs
made in the 15th
and 16th centu-
ries are believed
to be very much
like those made
in ancient Persia. u SOME PERSIAN lines long. The
Fine carpets are tales were passed Persian poet
still made in 12 down by word of Ferdowsi recorded
rug-making cen- mouth and later it late in the 11th
ters scattered written down. century CE. Its sto-
around Iran. Each The Shahnameh, ries of kings, gods,
center has its own or Book of Kings, and demons orig-
distinctive designs. is an epic poem inated in ancient
about 100,000 Persia.

Ancient_Persia_12-13.indd 13 3/13/17 2:37 PM

 14

Invasion of the Greeks

After the Persians failed to conquer the Greek
mainland in 479 BCE, the Persian Empire and its
Achaemenid leaders began a slow decline. The kings
who followed Xerxes were weak rulers. At the same
time, the Greek city-states grew stronger after Philip
II of Macedonia organized them into the Hellenic
League. He named himself and his descendants
leaders of the league. Philip was murdered in 336
BCE. Two years later, his son Alexander, later called
Alexander the Great, invaded Persia.
AFTER THE PERSIANS
l ALEXANDER WAS army defeated lost to the Greeks
tutored by the the Persians at in 331 BCE, Darius
Greek philosopher Issus. During III escaped with
Aristotle, who the battle, the his bodyguards.
taught that Greeks Greeks captured Meanwhile,
had a right to rule the wife, chil- Alexander burned
over all barbar- dren, and mother Persepolis as
ians (anyone not of the Persian revenge for the
Greek). Alexander king, Darius III. burning of Athens
wanted to avenge Alexander then by Xerxes some
the earlier Persian marched his 150 years earlier.
invasions of army to Egypt Darius III was
Greece led by and defeated the stabbed by one of
Darius and Xerxes. Persian troops his satraps and left
After crossing there. to die in the des-
into Asia, his ert. The Persian
Empire and the
r BY ALL ACCOUNTS, king of all Asia. Achaemenid
Darius III (right) While Alexander dynasty had
was a mild-man- was in Egypt, come to an end.
nered ruler who Darius III raised
wanted the best for another army.
his country. After When Alexander
his family was cap- returned to
tured at Issus, he Persia in 331 BCE,
wrote to Alexander, the Greeks and
asking that his Persians again did
family be released. battle – and again,
Alexander sent the Persians lost.
a haughty reply,
claiming to be the

r ALEXANDER LED back. Reaching waged a series which included

his troops as far Babylon (the cap- of wars over who the Persian heart-
east as India, ital of Babylonia) would take control land, was ruled
where he defeat- in 323 BCE, he died of Alexander’s by Seleucus I. The
ed a large Indian unexpectedly, pos- empire. Finally, Seleucid dynasty
army (right). sibly from malaria, they divided up spread Greek
However, at his at the age of 32. the lands into culture through-
soldiers’ insis- For 40 years after three large king- out Persia.
tence, he turned that, his generals doms. The largest,

Ancient_Persia_14-15.indd 14 3/13/17 2:38 PM

 invented the iwan, d IN 224 CE, THE Sasanian dynasty.
a three-sided brick Parthians were The Sasanians
hall with a high conquered by a wanted to restore
curved ceiling leader from the old the glory of the old
(shown here). Persian heartland Persian Empire.
The open end of of Fars. This lead- They often waged
an iwan faced a er claimed to be war with Rome and
shaded courtyard. descended from a Byzantium (pres-
The iwan brought nobleman named ent-day Istanbul),
cooling air into the Sasan. Thus, the and they restored
house during hot dynasty he found- Zoroastrianism as u SKILLED PARTHIAN
Persian summers. ed is called the the state religion. archers could shoot
The Parthians Sasanian kings arrows over their
u BY 141 BCE, satrapy of Parthia. traded as far east liked to be por- shoulders while
the Seleucid rule The Parthians as China. They trayed hunting, as riding away from
in Persia had been tried to reduce also periodically on this silver plate. the enemy. Today,
replaced by the the influence of battled with the a Parthian shot (or
Parthians, nomad- the Greeks. They Roman Empire “parting shot”) is a
ic tribesmen who experimented in the west. sharp remark made
had taken over with new kinds while walking away
the old Persian of buildings and from an argument.

Ancient_Persia_14-15.indd 15 3/13/17 2:38 PM

 16

The Legacy of Ancient Persia

In the 7th century CE,
in Arabia, the prophet
Muhammad started a new
religion, called Islam.
The religion spread rap-
idly throughout western
Asia. Around 642 CE,
Islamic Arabs defeated the
Sasanians and took con-
trol of Persia. Soon Islam
replaced Zoroastrianism
as the religion of Persia.
However, while Islam
changed Persia, contact
with Persian culture had an
effect on Islam, which was
enriched by Persian art and
poetry. Ancient Persia left a
legacy for the whole world
to enjoy.

THE MOSQUE OF
Imam was built
Persian Style
in Isfahan (now in
Iran) during the
rule of Shah Abbas
(1588–1629),
a leader of the
Safavid dynasty.
Built over a period
of 18 years, the
mosque shows
how Persian archi-
tecture and design
were incorporated
into Islamic wor-
ship. Mosques
(Islamic places
of worship) often
have an iwan.
During the earlier
Sasanian period,
the Persians had
discovered how
to make domes.
They used these
rounded structures
to cover their most
important build-
ings, such as
palaces. Today,
many monuments
and mosques all
over the world
have domes.

Ancient_Persia_16-17.indd 16 3/13/17 2:40 PM

 17
l THE THOUSAND l OMAR KHAYYAM
and One Nights (or (c. 1048–1131
The Arabian Nights) CE) was a Persian
is a story collection poet, mathemati-
that includes the cian, and astrono-
tale of Aladdin and mer. He was part
the magic lamp. of a movement
The stories come to change the
from Egypt, Iraq, calendar to a
India, and other 365-day year. He
places. The earliest is best known for
ones – perhaps having written a
first written down book of poetry,
in the 10th century The Rubáiyát,
CE – are Persian which people still
tales with an Indian read today.
influence.

Azadi Square, Tehran, Iran

u FROM 642 CE, A revolution in

Taj Mahal, India
Persia was 1979 brought in
ruled by: Arabs Islamic religious
(642–1055), leaders, called
Seljuk Turks ayatollahs. Today
(1055–1157), the government
Mongols (1219– in the heart of the
early 1500s), and ancient Persian
Safavids (1510– Empire is the
1722). Then Islamic Republic
came Nadir Shah of Iran. The area
(1736–1747), the was named Iran
Qajar dynasty in 1935, in rec-
(1796–1921), and ognition of the
the Pahlavi dynas- Aryans, the original
ty (1925–1979). Persians.

r THE ANCIENT
Persians loved to
fill their gardens
with fragrant
flowers they
found growing in
Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan the wild. One spe-
cies the Persians was later taken to
cultivated was Europe, and from
the damask rose. there to North
This type of rose America.

l ENGLISH BORROWS
from many
languages. More
than 150 English
words have Persian
roots, including
lemon, orange,
sherbet, paradise,
magic, and bazaar.
Blue Mosque, Turkey

Ancient_Persia_16-17.indd 17 3/13/17 2:41 PM

 18

Activities
WRITE AN EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH
Imagine you are Cyrus the Great. In an
effort to help your son Cambyses II rule
as you have, you decide to explain your
method of ruling to him. Think about the
ways Cyrus the Great ruled his empire.
For example, how did he treat people the
Babylonians had enslaved? Using details
from this magazine, write a paragraph
explaining Cyrus’s methods of ruling.
Include a description of how his methods
helped him gain the respect of those he
conquered. Research to find information
that adds to what you have read in this
magazine.

MAKE A TABLE The Kings Who Built the Persian Empire

Creating a table can be helpful in

keeping track of facts and details. KING

Make a table similar to this one about

the early Persian kings. Use the infor- PERIOD OF RULE
mation you learned in this magazine
to complete the table with facts about
the four kings who built the ancient ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Persian Empire.

Ancient_Persia_18-19.indd 18 3/13/17 2:42 PM


MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Mesopotamia
Ever wonder when the first written
records appeared, when the wheel was
invented, or where our modern count-
ing system came from? Believe it or
not, these and many other innovations
– like glass, farming, complex legal
systems, and basic astronomy – came
from one civilization, the very first:
Mesopotamia.
LEARN
MORE
ONLINE!
• As shown in their sculptures, the
Persians depicted themselves as
noble. This matches their idea of
themselves as the masters of a vast
empire and a great civilization.
• The Persians got ships from the
Phoenicians and the idea of coins
from the Lydians. What else did these
two influential cultures contribute to
ancient commerce?
Ancient_Persia_18-19.indd 19
Indian Empires
India’s geography, with its steep moun-
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it difficult for any one ruler to unite the
country. But in 320 BCE, Chandragupta
Maurya founded India’s first true
empire, the Maurya Empire. Learn
about the rise and spread of Buddhism
and Hinduism, the reign of Ashoka, and
the emergence of the Gupta Empire.
• Historians don’t know exactly when
Zarathustra lived, but most agree
that he was a priest in the ancient
Persian religion. As a young man, he
had a mystical vision of Ahura Mazda
(“wise lord”), who told him to preach
the truth.
19
Ancient Egypt
Pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, and
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left behind breathtaking monuments
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people and practices that make Ancient
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have uncovered the mysteries of this
long-ago civilization.
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS
HSS 6.4 Students analyze the
geographic, political, economic,
religious, and social structures of
the early civilizations of Ancient
Greece.
6.4.5 Outline the founding, expan-
sion, and political organization of the
Persian Empire.
Historical and Social Sciences
Analysis Skills:
Research, Evidence, and Point of
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2. Students distinguish fact from opin-
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3/13/17 2:42 PM
 hmhco.com

KIDS
DISCOVER
EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon FACT-CHECKER: Patricia Fogarty
ART DIRECTION: Brobel Design
DESIGNERS: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel, AUTHOR: Lois Markham, Camille Cauti
David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Amy K. Hughes
PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine,
Elisabeth Morgan PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine
ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine
PROOFREADER: Paula Glatzer,
Patricia Fogarty

(rhyton). Bridgeman Images: Look and Learn: p.6 top (palace of Darius at Persepolis);
GRADE 6 TITLES Musée Rolin, Autun, France: p.5 middle right (Xerxes). Getty Images: Historical Picture
Archive: p.6 middle left (Iranian prince); Bettmann: p.17 top center (Omar Khayyam);
World’s Early People Ancient India
BornaMir: p.9 middle right (tomb of Cyrus); DEA Picture Library: G. Nimatallah: p.19
Mesopotamia Indian Empires top center (Great Stupa); Art in All of Us: Eric Lafforgue: p.7 middle right (Ahura Mazda);
Ancient Egypt Ancient China Kazuyoshi Nomachi: pp.10–11 (Persepolis steps); Print Collector: p.15 bottom center
(Sassanian silver-gilt dish); Ugurhan: p.9 top right (Persepolis); Werner Forman: p.13
Archaeology Early Romans top right (armlet). Granger Collection: p.5 center middle (Persian gold coin); Sarin
Language Roman Empire Images: p.2 bottom left (King Cyrus), p.16 top right (the genie appears to Aladdin).
iStock Images: AG-ChapelHill: p.3 bottom left (Borujerd, Iran); BornaMir: p.12 bottom
Ancient Hebrews Christianity and Rome’s Legacies left (Achaemenid soldiers); Fotolinchen: p.7 bottom center (barley); FrankvandenBergh:
Early Greeks Olmec and Maya p.12 bottom right (two-headed bull); gaborbasch: p.17 center middle (Badshahi Mosque);
kickimages: p.6 center middle (Persian soldier); Nikada: p.17 center middle (Taj Mahal);
Greece’s Golden Age Civil Rights Vincent_St_Thomas: p.17 bottom center (Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey). National
Ancient Persia Geographic Creative: Tom Lovell: pp.14–15 top (Persepolis in flames), p.14 bottom
right (defeat of the Indian army). Shutterstock: Borna_Mirahmadian: p.17 top right
(Azadi Square); JJ_SNIPER: p.19 top right (ancient Egyptian statue); M.Khebra: p.17
middle right (damask rose); Nicola Messana Photos: p.15 bottom left (iwan); Renata
Sedmakova: p.3 bottom right (Herodotus); steve estvanik: p.13 bottom right (the
ON THE COVER: Shah Kaykaus Hawking, oil painting, 19th century, Persian, Mongol Shahnameh); Subbotina Anna: p.17 bottom right (lemons).
School: Getty Images: Burstein Collection.
ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS:
PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: Lanmas: p.19 top left (Assyrian Palace); North Wind Picture Acme Design Company: Maps, pp.2–3.
Archives: p.18 top (Cyrus II the Great); Prisma Archivo: p.19 bottom (Zarathustra). Art
Resource: British Library Board: Robana: pp.16–17 bottom (Isfahan, the Shah Mosque); Michael Kline Illustration: Cartoons, cover; The Year 585 BCE, p.2; Xerxes and
The Trustees of the British Museum: p.4 top right (Cyrus Cylinder); Erich Lessing: p.4 Soldiers, p.5; Canals, p.9.
bottom (King Cambyses II), p.9 middle right (winged griffin), p.13 bottom left (Persian
rug), p.14 middle left (Alexander mosaic), p.14 center middle (Darius); SEF: p.5 top Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc.: Rob Wood: Behistun, p.5; Greg Harlin: Poor Folk, p.7;
right (Darius I the Great), p.12 top left (tribute bearers); Werner Forman: p.13 top left Royal Road, pp.8–9.

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