Thursday, January 29th Bell Work: Please pick up the daily handout from the front table and find your assigned seat. Take the first 10 minutes to complete the Bell Work activity. Answer each of the four questions in complete sentences.

Daily Agenda:

▪ Bell Work: Analyzing Differing Views

▪ Word of the Day acrimonious

▪ Belief Systems Poster Presentations

▪ Lecture: The Persian Empire

▪ Summarizer: Bumper Sticker

Essential Question:

What political, social, cultural, and economic characteristics defined the Persian Empire?

Homework: Read Bentley and Ziegler, pgs. 169-177.

Acrimonious – filled with bitterness; sharpness in words(Pronunciation for Word)

Celebrity relationships are known for being dynamic, and often end with bitterness. Here is an acrimonious description of one such relationship.

Video: Recommend stop time 1:27

VIDEO 1/29/15, Block 1

Belief System Posters: Take the next 15 minutes to finish your world religion poster. When you finish, take a moment to rehearse your presentation. Remember, this is a persuasive, not informative presentation, so make sure you present using the appropriate tone and approach.

The Persian Empire

What techniques did Classical empires create to administer their territories?

▪ Challenge: 70 distinct ethnic groups spread over the world’s largest empire

▪ Persepolis: Grand capital built to serve as a nerve center of the empire .

▪ Satrapies: Governors (Satraps) served as central administrators in 23 districts of the empires. What would stop these Satraps from challenging the power of the Emperor?

▪ Satraps power was checked by a contingent of imperial military officers and tax collectors and also by “the eyes and ears of the king.”

▪ General approach was to oversee all territory while respecting the traditions of each local people

▪ Under Darius, the empire standardized taxes, issued standardized coins, and attempted to codify laws (without imposing a uniform law code)

What were the most influential of the Classical Era empires?

Achaemenid

(558-330 BCE)

Seleucid(323-83

BCE)

Parthian (247 BCE – 224 CE)

Sasanid (224 – 651

CE)

Alexander’s Hellenistic

EmpireRoman Empire

Islamic Caliphate

s

How did imperial governments let their population know that the government was “in charge?”

▪ Grand scale of Persepolis

▪ Persian idea of kingship: “The Great King, King of Kings, King in Persia, King of Countries”

▪ Paradayadams: Walled in gardens built in the desert to reward the most loyal peoples.

▪ Slavery: The state would enslave people who resisted their advance or rebelled against imperial authorities.

▪ Imperial Spies: Traveled with their own militaries demanding surprise audits of accounts and procedures.

Persepolis

What role did trade play in creating and maintaining empires?

▪ To expand the economy, Persian rulers adopted standardized coins, and created large markets in big cities (even banks and investment firms).

▪ Royal Road: 1677 mile road connecting Sardis to Susa (7 days travel rather than 90 days on foot)

▪ Canal of the Pharaohs: Man-made canal linking Red Sea and Nile River to expand maritime trade.

▪ Trade amongst and between the Anatolians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Hindus, Central Asians, and Greeks

What social classes and occupations were common in empires?

Imperial Bureaucrats and

Warriors

Free Classes (Artisans, Priests, merchants,

craftsmen, landowning peasants, laborers)

Slaves (Prisoners of War, Rebels, or Debtors)

What unique social and economic characteristics existed in empires?

▪ Female labor Women worked in the weaving/textile industry and received rations of grain, wine, beer, and meat from the empire/temple that employed them.

▪ Pregnancy: Pregnant and new mothers received higher rations than anyone. Extra bonuses given to mothers (and nurses) who give birth to boys. Higher rations for boys than girls.

▪ Agriculture: Relied on Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Northern India for agricultural surpluses for large bureaucracy.

▪ Qanats: Underground canals for irrigation throughout Iranian plateau

Bumper Sticker Summarizer:

▪ Before leaving class today, please complete the Bumper Sticker worksheet according to the directions provided.

▪ Turn in your completed bumper sticker to the homework bin before you leave today.