Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ Chapter 4 -­ Lesson 3 "Persia Controls Southwest Asia” p. 128 – 133 Daily Life “The Court of Darius” p.134 -­ 135 MAIN IDEAS
• Geography – Persia’s location between Mesopotamia and India was a “bridge”
between eastern and western Asia.
• Government – Cyrus used a policy of toleration to control the Persian Empire.
• Government – To better govern, Persia divided its lands into smaller units
WORD
Definition
Picture / other
representation
Learning
Target #
Anatolia toleration province satrap Royal Road minted coins (133) Build on what you know. . . .
In lessons 1 and 2 you learned about empires that were built in the lands of the Fertile
Crescent. To the ____________ of these empires was the land of the_____________,
which was called Media. These lands _________________ east and west ___________.
1 Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ A Land Between East and West (p. 129 - 130)
A land between east and
1. The Medes controlled lands that included the ___________.
west
2. Modern day _________ lies on Persian land.
3. There are geographic differences between the Fertile
Crescent and Persia. The area Persia controlled was _____
from the rest of the Fertile Crescent.
____________________________ cut off the land from
the _______ and the rest of the continent.
The three mountain ranges in Persia included the
___________ mountains, the _______________ mountains
and the _________ mountains.
4. Most people lived at the __________ of a high __________
in the middle of the region or in mountain ______________.
5. What natural resources were found in this area?
6. Who occupied the lands of the Medes? Where did they
come from?
7. What was a result of this invasion?
8. What kinds of things did they trade? Who did they
trade with / where did they trade?
2 Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ Cyrus Founds the Persian Empire (p. 130 - 131)
Cyrus founds the Persian
9. The Medes ruled Persia until a __________ and _________
Empire
Persian king named ______________ took control. He was
known as _________________________.
10. What was a goal of Cyrus?
How did he plan to accomplish his goal?
11. How did Cyrus control all of his lands filled with different
people? Explain his policy of toleration.
12. Why can Cyrus be considered a wise emperor?
Darius Expands the Empire (p. 132 - 133)
Darius expands the empire 13. Who took over the empire once Cyrus died? Why did this
ruler not work out / fail?
14. Who took over after the weak ruler?
15. How did Darius deal with the revolts?
16. How many miles did his empire span? What can you
equate that distance to here in the US?
3 Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ Darius expands the empire
(continued)
17. Darius did two things to help organize his area. He created
provinces and set up satraps. Explain how both of these
helped him organize his large empire.
provinces:
satraps:
18. Explain how the Royal Road helped unite the empire
under the rule of Darius.
19. Who were the enemies of the Persians?
Complete the chart
Name of Empire
Persian Empire
3 Details of Empire
A.
B.
C.
4 Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ Compare / Contrast: A study of problems faced by rulers in this lesson can help you
understand the growth of governments. Use the diagram below to identify the issues
and problems faced by Cyrus and Darius. Try to list at least THREE items in each box
Cyrus
both
Darius
Lesson Summary (p. 133)
• Tiny Persian kingdoms thrived due to trade.
• Cyrus the great ruled the Persian Empire with a policy of toleration.
• Darius formed provinces and appointed satraps to improve government.
Why it matters now (p. 133)
The Persians showed that lands ruled with policies of toleration could be stable and peaceful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Daily Life: The Court of Darius (134-135)
Read the information on the two pages about the court of Darius and then answer the
questions.
1. In what ways would the palace and the activities there impress a first time visitor?
2. Choose one of the locations shown here and write a description of what may be taking
place at that location.
5 Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________ Geography practice: Use the information below and the map to answer the questions.
The Royal Road The Persian Empire was enormous. Communication between with royal officials and military officers was a challenge. The 1,775 mile Royal Road aided Persian officials in maintaining contact between Persepolis and Susa in the east and Sardis in the west. The Royal Road went through the middle of the empire. It was not the shortest route between the main cities, but connected important cities. The road probably followed the routes of earlier roads. All major mountain passes and river crossings had guard posts and often gates to keep out invaders. Historians have learned much about the road from the writings of a Greek historian, Herodotus. He described a network of roads divided into 111 segments. Each segment was about 15 miles in length. Stations with fresh horses, supplies, and resting places were found in every segment. Royal messengers riding on the road could get a fresh horse at each new stage. Riding “pony express” style, the messengers could move information across the empire in about seven days. A person walking the route an average of 30 kilometers (18.75 miles) per day would need about ninety days to make the full journey. 1. What is the approximate distance between Arbela and Susa? _____ miles
2. Using the distance you calculated in question 1, determine the number of horses, at one
per fifteen miles, a messenger would need to move a message between Arabela and
Susa.___________ horses.
3. Which river will you cross when traveling from Comana to Gordium?
4. Circle the first city west of Susa on the Royal Road.
5. Why might the trip from Persepolis to Susa be physically challenging?
6