Conflict between Palestine and Israel escalates
- Thread starter dreng3
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Well, one could argue that the west declining is only relative, and that it hasn't unless someone else is getting bigger. And/or the reason for lesser Western militaries is the lack near-peer threats that is seems likely there will be a war against.
overwhelming the Zionist air defense (and its US support) such that they can strike targets in Tel Aviv does not seem 'helpless'.
fucking unhinged
and the reporting is no less psychopathic, completely ignoring Israel attacked first with a long term planned terrorist attack killing civilians including children again while wording every retaliation by Iran as "INCOMING ATTACKS ON SMOL BEAN CITIZENS!" from one side of their mouth as the other side launders Israel's insane escalatory attacks on its neighbours' civilians/civilian infrastructure as either something as natural as the fucking weather when they're not just using the word "targets" in place of "innocent civilians" ALL WHILE CONTINUING GENOCIDE ESCALATION IN GAZA WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WHY IS EVERYONE SO KUNTING FINE WITH MORE MASS MURDER?!? Does no kunt listen to or have any Iranian/American friends?? And not the ones certain Israelis are claiming are totes texting them to say they love being bombed actually plz do it more bro. I can't take any of these kunts seriously anymore how the fuck is any person supposed after they look you straight in the eyes and say you're the crazy one for not wanting more genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass murder and war...oh and you're also anti-Semitic too cos why the fuck not throw that bollocks in too
and the reporting is no less psychopathic, completely ignoring Israel attacked first with a long term planned terrorist attack killing civilians including children again while wording every retaliation by Iran as "INCOMING ATTACKS ON SMOL BEAN CITIZENS!" from one side of their mouth as the other side launders Israel's insane escalatory attacks on its neighbours' civilians/civilian infrastructure as either something as natural as the fucking weather when they're not just using the word "targets" in place of "innocent civilians" ALL WHILE CONTINUING GENOCIDE ESCALATION IN GAZA WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WHY IS EVERYONE SO KUNTING FINE WITH MORE MASS MURDER?!? Does no kunt listen to or have any Iranian/American friends?? And not the ones certain Israelis are claiming are totes texting them to say they love being bombed actually plz do it more bro. I can't take any of these kunts seriously anymore how the fuck is any person supposed after they look you straight in the eyes and say you're the crazy one for not wanting more genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass murder and war...oh and you're also anti-Semitic too cos why the fuck not throw that bollocks in too
Last edited:
Yes, if you wanted to sum up the current state of Western civilisation, you could do worse than point at how the utterly corrupt leader of a tiny country has allied with rabid, religious zealots to murder tens of thousands of people just so he doesn't face a court case, and somehow get all Western leaders to support that state of affairs for years on end.
Khamenei transfers powers to IRGC high command
Oh my fucking god you coward. Is there anyone who will stand and fight against US interests instead of being chickenshit. Again, Zelenskyy was able not scared by Russia threatening to nuke Kyiv. Say what you want about Mao, and Stalin but one lost his son to a napalm strike, and another faced the entire Nazi war machine at Moscow and was unwilling to be scared by Nazi blackmail of another son. Not that I am anti-American, but holy shit is the other side full of cowards. Putin is in a Bunker, Hamas is in a bunker, and Hezbollah is in a bunker. And they are all cowards. Before you attack me, I have asked to join the US military multiple times, and multiple times I was close, but MEPs disqualified me. But if a schizo guy with ADHD knows the logic of being either a martyr or strong leader, it shouldn't take people who are supposed much more educated than me to do the same. Stand and fight for your nation and or cause.
And Xi/China should be spamming Fighter Jets in parts in shipping containers to send to Iran and Russia, mass-producing military equipment for self-defense to WW1 Levels. Instead, China is sending paid bots to TikTok, Reddit, X, and other websites. Which is logical, but they are not backing up their allies, and their red lines on Iran have been crossed, but it's a wake-up call to them. Iran, too, was so happy to be placated by President Obama, only to get checkmated by the neo-cons afterwards. You don't make deals with the Americans in the long run, they change presidents, then change policies you moron, look at NAFTA/USMCA, EU, NATO, UN, WTO, etc.
All of those billions in frozen funds spent on the glorious S-400 Godkiller 5000, murderer of 5 million F-22s, should have been spent on Chinese jets, or just better internal security and cohesion.
A pretty clear difference between the situations of Khamenei and Zelensky is that Russia has not indicated that it wants to assassinate Zelensky, whereas the Zionist stain on Palestine has recently assassinated various Iranians and Netanyahu has directly called for the assassination of Khamenei (while ludicrously claiming it would end all hostilities).
Anyway, while I would certainly like to see a more active China, it must be admitted that they are winning the peace quite handily and so any move toward their involvement in kinetic warfare is an enormous risk to their future.
Well it helps not falling into such blackmail if you already hate your son anyway, and are a sociopath who doesn't put any value on human life to begin with. Rather than patriotism and the weight of his office it was likely just petty malice that doomed Stalin's son.
Though in regards to your complaints. I have often felt the US was blessed by having awful enemies. Perhaps if their targets weren't a rogue collection of tyrants and monsters perhaps the world would have given more pushback.
They're Russians. Of course they want to murder Zelensky. If they poisoned one of his predecessors just because they thought he was annoying, then imagine what they'd do with an Ukrainian president that's actively fending off their psychotic warmongering. I'm sure the talking heads on Russian government television have some very colorful description of what they want to do with him.
Things are going well in the Zionist settler colony.
Stalin didn't abuse his position to benefit his family; this somehow still reflects poorly on him. Western propaganda is a hell of a drug.
Such reasoning.
Sure if you stop reading to avoid seeing any uncomfortable facts about Russians.
Fact of the matter is that Stalin hated Yakov and was so abusive he once attempted suicide over it. Therefore its not exactly a 'sacrifice'' for Stalin to leave him as a prisoner. And Russians, aside from acting like barbaric sociopaths for the entirety of the war in Ukraine already poisoned one of Zelensky's predesessor. The idea that its somehow unclear whether they want to kill Zelensky or not is really silly.
Russian propaganda is one hell of a drug
And even if all they said was true, and they were engaged in a necessary war against an unjust enemy, as the leader of that enemy, surely he'd be a valid target anyway?
Why ?
China never wanted the Ukraine war and also doesn't really care whether Russia wins or not. And now, with the US out of the picture there isn't even a side effect of weakening US power anymore.
China might have more reasons to support Iran. But even here not enough of them.
Which is not the same thing as Putin going on ABC News and saying the war would end if Zelensky were killed.
Indeed; more likely, if the Russian attempt to seize Kyiv and depose the government in 2022 had been successful, Zelensky would have been shipped to a distant gulag and quietly murdered like Putin's domestic opponents.
Stalin had as many as four sons, all of whom he abandoned or ignored-- Yakov was abandoned early and attempted suicide multiple times before dying in a Nazi concentration camp, while Vasily was ignored by his father after his mother had committed suicide, and was imprisoned after Stalin died. Konstantin and Alexander, born of affairs, never met him. Stalin's daughter of course famously defected from the USSR but returned temporarily after Stalin's death. It seems to have been intolerable to be related to him.
Last edited:
don't know whether anyone who needs to would ever watch or even read this, but in the faintest hope some curiosity overwhelms
www.ricksteves.com
also it still astounds me how little to no recognition their contributions to modern society have got in western countries. they did human rights first for crying out loud wtf is going with you colonisers! oh nevermind almost forgot how much contempt that concept has held against it to this very day lol
www.nicart.org
Agriculture & Water Irrigation
Iran has been at the helm of agriculture in several ways. To start, Persians were the first to manage to control the forces of nature and domesticating animals and plants existing in the wild state in the plateau. They also invented water irrigation methods caled qanat to procure water to divert the flow to where it’s needed.
According to Professor Ernest Hertzfeld and Sir Arthur Keith, the Caspians i.e. the original inhabitants of the plateau of Iran, were the original agriculturists and that their knowledge of agriculture spread from the Caspian plateau to the three adjoining alluvial plains which later became the site of early urban civilizations. This theory was later corroborated by later excavations in Iran. The oldest known qanat is in the city of Gonabad in Iran, which after 2,700 years still succeeds in providing drinking and agricultural water to people today.
Alcohol
Today, Alcohol is one of the mostly used products in the world. It is used in drinks, foods, and preservatives in its different states and different compositions. It was first invented by a Persian physician named Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi. He worked on different gases and chemicals and invented Alcohol.
Algebra
Khwārizmī, a Persian mathematician, invented modern day Algebra, and the word Algorithm, is even an latinised form of his name. Al-Khwarizmi's Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing) was a pioneering piece of work - offering practical answers for land distribution, rules on inheritance and distributing salaries.
Architecture
According to Professor Arthur Pope (Persian Architecture), Iran has a continuous history of architecture from at least 5,000 B.C. to the present, and characteristic examples of this architecture are distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar.
Astronomy
Historically astronomy has occupied an important position in Persian culture. Many prominent astronomers such as Biruni and Khayyam in the first half of the 11th century and Tusi in the 13th century have played major roles in the advancement of astronomy in Iran during their times. Likewise, astronomy schools such as Maragheh Observatory (13th century) were once among the most prestigious astronomy research institutes in the world.
Backgammon
The popular game of backgammon was first invented in Iran around 3000 BC, making it one of the oldest board games known in our history. In the modern world, it is played with two players and the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of the dice. A player wins if he/she is able to remove all of their pieces from the board before their opponent. Excavations at Shahr-e Sukhteh in Iran found a board game with two dice and 60 checkers. The popularity of backgammon has survived thousands of years in the region as Iranians can still be found playing the game in public parks and cafes all over the country. The game is today known as “nard” and has different initial positions and objectives to the ancient game.
Banks
During the Achaemenian period private banks were established. The most famous was Bank of Egibi which carried on the business of pawn-brokers floating loans and accepting deposits. Its capital was invested in house property, fields, cattle, and in the boats that carried the merchandise. Current accounts were operated and checks were in use. Bank of Murashshu and Sons was founded later in Nippur. It held leases, dug canals and sold water to the farmers, secured monopolies, such as brewing or fisheries which were farmed out at a profit.
Battery
The battery was first designed and made by Persian people. That battery was simple and could produce the current of 1.5 to 2.0 volts. Although this is a minimal amount of current, yet it was a great invention at that time. It consisted of three major components; a pot, a metallic rod and a rod used a cell.
The concept was very simple as they used a pot containing an electrolyte and a rod which was used as a cell. Persian people invented battery, and later on, each civilization worked on its concept to get better results. Today, we are using batteries in its advanced form in almost every field of our life. We can say that all of the credit of inventing battery goes to the Persian civilization.
Bricks
Professor Girshman very clearly shows the gradual evolution of molded and baked bricks in different layers of Siyalk- near Kashan- and by doing so proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that brick was first made in Iran.
Cutlery
According to the Journal of British Institute of Iranian Studies, Volume III published in 1965 in Iran, two very beautifully proportioned silver spoons were found in 1964 in Iran belonging to the second half of the 5th century B.C. One spoon has a duck or swan's head handle. The other, a zoomorphic handle ending in a cloven hoof. The same publication noted that among Achaemenian works of art, other spoons or ladles terminating in swan's handles had been recovered. Also according to Byzantine and Christian sources, the Iranian nobility in Sassanian times, had special knives to serve fruit with, and used gold forks and spoons and special gold cups at their dinner tables.
Early Environmentalists!
From ancient times, Persians have shown great respect for flowers, plants and trees. From times unknown to present day, Persians have advocated planting trees, and there is even a special Derakht Kari (tree planting) day when thousands of trees are plated throughout the country. Another sign of the significance of trees in Persian culture is evidenced in the ruins of Persepolis- the 2,500 year old Achaemenid palace- where numerous flowers and cypress trees are found in the bas-reliefs throughout the palace.
eBay
eBay is one of the most popular ways to buy and sell goods and services on the internet. eBay was founded by Iranian-American billionaire entrepreneur, computer scientist, and philanthropist, Pierre Omidyar. He served as chairman from 1998 to 2015. He became a billionaire at the age of 31 with eBay's 1998 initial public offering.
Gas Masks
An early type of rudimentary gas mask was invented in the 9th century by the Persian Banu Musa Brothers. This gas mask was designed by the brothers to protect workers working in polluted wells. The device was mentioned in the book "Book of Ingenious Devices" that describes 100 inventions.
Guitar
Music is heavenly and even in the ancient days various types of musical instruments were used. According to history, the Persians were very fond of music. One of the many Persian contributions to civilization includes the Guitar – one of the most popular and widely used musical instruments! The Persian type guitar was called Tar. It was made using wooden box and strings. It was invented at a time when musical instruments were quite rare. This is among the top Persian discoveries that was much loved by the monarchs of those days and has influenced Persian music greatly.
Gloves
Xenophon in his Cyropaedia speaks of Iranians covering their hands with thick leather and their fingers in frames thereby explaining how he came to know for the first time what Iranians used in order to protect their hands against cold and frosty winds. This shows that the Greeks did not know what gloves were. Excavations in Ziwieh in Iran have produced a kind of a glove used as adornment belonging to the 7th century B.C.
Grape Vine and Wine
The laboratory analysis of a 4,500 year old clay pot excavated in the northwestern part of Iran showed that it was used for storing wine. To date, this is the oldest wine container found. The grape-vine, which is indigenous to Iran, was introduced to China by Can K'ien in 128 B.C. at the time of the Chinese Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.). The introduction of the vine from Iran to China is well attested. The word for wine the Chinese envoy carried with him to his country was budo, which apparently came from the Persian badeh.
Human Rights
The Cyrus Cylinder has been historically recognised as the the world’s first universal charter of human rights. Created in 534 BCE, the Cyrus Cylinder is constructed out of clay and inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script, and predates the Magna Carta by one millennium. It was discovered in Babylon in 1879, and is now kept in the British Museum in London.
Modern Medicine
Ibn Sina, a Persian polymath, is often called the father of modern medicine. He wrote the book Canon medicinae, a medical encyclopedia, which became a standard medical text at many medieval universities and remained in use as late as 1650, more than 650 years after his death.
Orchestra
Excavations in Chogha Mish, about 15 miles south-east of Dezful in the province of Khoozestan have provided evidence that it was a city of considerable size in the Protoliterate period (about 5,500 years ago) when writing was probably first invented. Most significant of the items found are the cylinder seal impressions on clay. Per Sylvia Matheson in Persia: An Archeological Guide, "one of these gives the earliest known evidence of music as an organized art-form, showing an orchestra and a vocalist."
Pants and Long Coats
The trousers that we wear today along coats that was customary until very recently in Europe is a Persian heirloom. None of the nations of the old world except Iranians wore trousers and long tunics coming to the knee. The pants that were called in old Persian Sharval (modem Persian Shalvar) were accepted later by the Greeks with its name in the form of Saraballa, in Latin Sarabara. It was accepted by Arabs and was called Serbal and Serval, in Spanish it is called Ceroulas and in Hungary it is called Schalwary and in Turkish Sharval.
Perfumes
The art of obtaining the essence of various flowers and preserving them in small containers was for the first time invented by the Zoroastrians in Iran as perfume played a great role in Zoroastrian religious ceremonies. From the Old Testament we learn how the ancient Persians considered perfume of utmost importance. It is stated in Esther that the virgins who were being prepared to be presented to Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, were obliged to be purified with oil of myrrh and for the next six months with sweet scents and other things. Baths In excavations headed by Professor Girshman in Shoosh (Susa), in a layer attributed to 2,000 years B.C., bathrooms were found in the houses of the richer classes in the Susian community.
Persian Empire (and First and Most Powerful in History)
The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D. The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to India’s Indus Valley in the East. This Iron Age dynasty, sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, was a global hub of culture, religion, science, art and technology for more than 200 years before it fell to the invading armies of Alexander the Great.
Polo (Chovgan)
Chowgan (Polo) s an ancient Persian game. The oldest mention of this game is in Ferdosi's Shahnameh (composed nearly 2,000 years ago) where the game played between Siyavash and his Persian retinue in one side and Afrasiyab, the Tooranian King and his brother Garsivaz, on the other is described in the form of poetry. Many Europeans have written their accounts of Shah Abbas Safavi either playing polo or watching the game from the balcony of the Ali Ghapoo palace, in Esfahan, while drinking snow-chilled Shiraz wine with his courtiers.
Also in the book of Esther we have a description of the way the girls who were brought from the country being prepared to meet the King of Persia, had to be bathed in hot baths for the period of a year.
Postal System
Herodotus, the Greek historian, attributes the creation of post and couriers to the Achaemenid Persians. He states, "The entire plan is a Persian innovation." To help facilitate communications within the vast empire of Persia, post stations were built along all routes to provide rest stations for the caravans and fresh horses for couriers on government business. Stations were spaced at preceisely one day's ride along the route, connecting the royal road stretching 2000 miles. Strong, skilled men riding fast, muscular horses carried royal messages as far as 1600 miles in one week. Herodotus marveled, "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these messengers. They will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night." This system of communications was unmatched in speed until the telegraph doomed the horse to obsolescence.
Pottery and Ceramics
Professor Pope states in the Masterpieces of Iranian Art: "In light of the data recently discovered it has been proved that agriculture and perhaps the crafts attached to it i.e. pottery making and weaving originated in Iranian plateau. From several essential points, the civilization in this area began 500 years before Egypt, 1,000 years before India and 7,000 years before China." Professor Girshman corroborates this theory by stating that between 15,000 and 10,000 B.C. prehistoric men lived on the Iranian plateau. He mentions that in 1949 traces of human remains were found in the Bakhtiyari mountains. These men used a coarse, poorly baked pottery.
Refrigerator
The yakhchal is an ancient evaporation cooler which has a two-fold meaning: yakh means “ice” and chal means “pit.” These ancient refrigerators were mainly built and used in Persia. The Persians had mastered the technique of building and using the yakhchal by 400 BC. The structure above the ground was dome-shaped and had a subterranean storage space. Using thick, heat-resistant construction materials, the subterranean storage space was insulated year-round. The underground spaces were up to 5,000 cubic meters in volume. Many of these structures were built hundreds of years ago and are still standing.
Roads
According to Professor Girshman, Iranians in Achaemenid times had developed a method of road building that consisted of paving the softer parts of the road, and even of making artificial ruts for wheeled vehicles. The Greek historian, Herodotus, states that the Persian Royal Road anticipated the Roman road by several centuries.
Rose
Clement Hurat and Louis Delaporte in their book "L'Iran Antique" state that the name of rose in Indo-European and Aramean and Arab languages shows its origin to be Iran because in all these languages the word for it is derived from Zand "Varedha", the perfect plant. In Persian "Vard" means the rose. In Syria the rose is called Vard Juri. The whole district of Jur, or Firoozabad, in the province of Fars in Iran was noted for its air (scent) of red roses. Fars included in its Kharaj (to the Caliph of Baghdad) 30,000 bottles of the essence of rose. Rose was introduced to Spain in the 7th century A.D. hence it was propagated all over Europe.
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh, translated as Book of Kings, is an epic composed by the Iranian poet, Hakim Abul-Qasim Mansur, (later known as Ferdowsi Tusi), and completed around 1010 CE. The epic chronicles the legends and histories of Iranian (Aryan) kings from primordial times to the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century CE, in three successive stages: the mythical, the heroic or legendary, and the historic. After its first appearance in 1010, the Shahnameh directly affected the epic and poetic works of all Persian speakers and writers for centuries.
The Shahnameh was written in classical Persian (Parsi) when the language was emerging from its Middle Persian Pahlavi roots, and at a time when Arabic was the favoured language of literature. As such, Ferdowsi is seen as a national Iranian hero who re-ignited pride in Iranian culture and literature and stablished the Persian language as a language of beauty and sophistication.
Spinach
A. de Candolle believes that it was in Persia where the spinach was first raised as a vegetable. The Spaniards, who spread it throughout Europe, received it through Arabs from Iran. Additional evidence is afforded by the very name of the plant which is of Persian origin. Its name in Persian is aspanah, aspanag or asfinaj; Arabic isfenah or isbenah. Hence Medieval Latin Spinachium, Spanish espinoca, Italian spinaci… The Chinese name for it means "Persian vegetable."
Sulfuric Acid
When it comes to Persian inventions, sulfuric acid deserves a special mention. The discoverer of this acid was Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Jakatra al-Razi. The man was a mathematician, an astronomer and a geographer at the same time. The discovery of sulfuric acid changed many things back then and even today is an integral part of chemical engineering study. This acid is used extensively in various fields – from commercial, industrial to domestic usage. It can be impossible to build a lot of things without sulfuric acid, making it one of the most important Persian inventions gifted to mankind.
Textile Industry
Textile in Iran can be traced back to the beginning of the Neolithic times. Professor Pope believes that textile industry originated in Iranian plateau. Excavations in the early 1950's in a cave near the Caspian Sea produced evidence of woven sheep's wool and goat hair, dated by the carbon 14 method to about 6,500 B.C.
From 4th or possibly 5th millennium B.C. traces of skillful fine plain linen cloth and signs of tablet weaving at the end of the 4th or early in the 3d millennium B.C. were recovered by the French Mission at Susa (Shoosh). Pierre Amiet in his book Elam, states that tablet weaving in the Susian civilization is proved by the discovery of a miniature weaving tablet in the foundation deposits of one of the Susa temples. Also a seal tablet belonging to the second half of the 4th millennium B.C. shows a weaving loom.
Wheel
Will Durant, in his famous work, "The History of Civilization," states that the wheel was first used for transport in Elam, in Iran. By about 2,000 B.C. wheeled vehicles were in use from Indian valley to the Syrian coast. But Gordon Childe states that in Egypt no wheeled vehicles were in use before 1,600 B.C.
While this is quite a comprehensive list, there are still so many more that we can add. What are some inventions, ancient or modern, that you can think of? Let us know!
bigthink.com
5 ways ancient Persia shaped our modern world
From landscaped gardens to road systems, the Persians were among the first to create many things we still enjoy today.
Credit: Archivist / Adobe Stock
Key Takeaways
It’s often said that history is written by the winners. But when you look back on the ancient world, it’s more accurate to say that history is written by historians. Although China has a strong claim, many tend to cite ancient Greece as the birthplace of history as a discipline. In Herodotus and Thucydides, we see the origins of the historical method — a vaguely reputable attempt to document events, and not a somewhat-historical imaginarium of magical beasts, bored gods, and local heroes. And how did the Greeks use their histories? Well, to slander their enemies. In Greek “history,” we see the Persian Empire as a place of dissolute, depraved, decadent demons who sought only the death and enslavement of all civilized peoples.
This vilification of the Persian Empire continued through two millennia of Eurocentric education – a “whig” historical account which went from Greece to Rome to Knights to Britain and then to America. Another issue, once historians realized the “rest of the world” might offer at least something, is that the study of Persia suffered for want of primary sources available to Western institutions. There were very few Persian translations (not to mention texts to translate). Even today, Amazon has over 20,000 books on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Persia doesn’t even have its own section.
Yet the Persians were one of the greatest civilizations in the world. If you speak to any Iranian, they will not be so easily quieted on Persia’s contributions to the world. The very reason Iran, today, is such a proud and distinct place owes itself, partially, to the light that was Persia.
So, what did the Persian Empire — which once covered modern-day Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan — provide the world? Well, here are five things the Persians did for us.
All roads lead to Persepolis
Roads date back a long time. Egypt and Sumeria had roads. Heck, the first-ever settlements probably used some cobbles to cobble together a road. But the Persians introduced The Royal Road. Under the Achaemenid Dynasty (550–330 BCE), they built a network of over 2,500 kilometers of roads, from their outer fringe provinces to their beating capital Persepolis. The Romans, famous for their roads, learned and modeled themselves after the Persians. Such a network was necessary for an organized, efficient, and integrated empire. Without good roads, most “empires” are simply a collection of disconnected and temporarily cowed vassals.
It’s Satrapies-y if you try
And the reason why roads were so important for Persia is because of their huge ambition. Persia was not simply a military empire ruled by the sword; it was an integrated, centralized power with a well-considered bureaucracy and a working political infrastructure. This was all run through their “satrapy” system.
A satrap was a local governor who was appointed by the emperor, and who was given certain regional freedoms to do what was best — so long as it served the good of the empire. There were roughly 20 satrapies over 5 million square kilometers of empire. It wasn’t a total devolution of power (as in, “Do what you want so long as you pay taxes”), but it instead found the administrative Goldilocks zone that facilitated effective government but with regular oversight. It’s because of satrapies that Persia is often identified as the first ever “state.”
Letters to Darius
The Persians invented a formal, functioning postal system called the “Chapar Khaneh.” The Egyptians and Assyrians had writing and courier services, but it was only under Darius I (548-486 BCE) that the world got its first network of relay systems and postal houses. A parcel-carrying Persian postman would hop on a horse, gallop it to exhaustion, and then swap horses at an exchange house (which were roughly a day apart). After a quick breakfast of figs on flatbread, they’d get a fresh horse and be galloping on their way before you could say “chafed thighs.” It was all far quicker, far safer, and far more effective than anything that had come before.
Tolerance in the Persian Empire
Under the great emperors of Achaemenid rule, conquered people were allowed to keep their beliefs and religious practices, as long as they didn’t upset the stability of the empire. The Persian Empire spanned three continents and was a diverse, multifarious federation of many tribes, ethnicities, and religious identities. It was quite acceptable for a Jew, Manichaean, or Zoroastrian to all debate theology in the cultural melting pot that was Persepolis. (Zoroastrianism was the official state religion of Persia and is also, at 4,000 years old, possibly the oldest monotheistic religion.)
As a result of this, Persian cities became a source of great scientific, philosophical, and technological innovation. Empires before the Persians, like the Egyptians and the Assyrians, forced people to bow to their gods and adopt their ways. The Babylonians are recorded in the Bible as forcing the Jews to stop their worship. The Persians are the first significant claimants to being as close to “tolerant” as the ancient world could be.
Green spaces and BBQs
The reason most houses have a garden or yard is probably all because of the Persians. The Egyptians had wonderful oases, the Babylonians had their Hanging Gardens, but the Persians took gardens mainstream. Persians saw a garden as a “paradise on earth,” and anyone who could afford to would hire a landscape gardener or horticulturist to make sure something verdant and lovely was always within eyeshot of the house. According to Herodotus’ Histories, the emperor Xerxes I even had “an orchard of every kind of tree that bears edible fruit.”
Persian Gardens, or “Chahar Bagh,” often featured a wide variety of plant life and flowing water features. They were places of recreation but also contemplation, discussion, and business. The Islamic gardens of Al-Andalus in Spain and the Mughal gardens in India were based on Persian gardens. Meanwhile, the Roman statesman, Lucullus, saw these gardens firsthand when on a diplomatic mission to what is now modern Turkey. When he got back home, he brought a bit of Persia to Rome with “The Gardens of Lucullus.” They caught on, and from there, they made their way across the empire and into Europeans’ hearts.
Persian by another name
Persia has given the world many things. It was the center of the world for half a millennium. It was the first empire to have genuine ambition: to bring together many peoples under one state. Persia was one of the first empires to recognize that diversity and multiculturalism could be a strength. Yet, it’s still often overlooked in historical discussions. In many ways, and with dark irony, part of this is due to the success of Persian innovations. Roads, the postal service, and centralized administrative bureaucracy were inherited by successor empires that we talk more about, like Rome and the Abbasid Caliphate. But we shouldn’t forget Persia, from there modern civilization began.
www.worldhistory.org
Birthday Celebrations, Animation, the Guitar, and Dessert
The Persians were the first to develop the practice of lavish celebrations of one's birthday.
The Persians were also the first to develop the practice of lavish celebrations of one's birthday as well as the art of animation for entertainment and the custom of having dessert after a meal. Birthday celebrations originated (as they did in other cultures) with a festival honoring the monarch's birth but gradually spread to members of the nobility and then the lower classes. In ancient Persia, birthdays were celebrated with special foods the guest of honor would enjoy and a cake for dessert with candles. Entertainment might have included animation – as evidenced by artifacts such as a cup which, when rapidly turned, showed a goat leaping in the air to snatch leaves from a tree – and music featuring vocals accompanied by stringed instruments such as the cartar (also known as the tar) and the sestar, precursor of the modern-day guitar. The practice of serving dessert after a meal was not reserved only for birthdays but followed every day's evening meal.
The Teaching Hospital
Under the reign of Shapur I (240-270 CE), the Academy of Gundeshapur was founded, quickly becoming the major intellectual and cultural center of the region. It is now thought its founding was inspired by Shapur I's principal wife, Azadokht Shahbanu, who first brought Greek physicians to the Imperial Court at Ctesiphon to establish a hospital. Under the later monarch Kosrau I (r. 531-579 CE), Gundeshapur flourished as the first teaching hospital in the world where young doctors-in-training worked under the supervision of more experienced physicians.
Windmills & Air Conditioning
The Persians invented the windmill c. 500 CE, although, it should be noted, this is the first recorded mention and the devices were probably in use earlier. Windmills were used in pumping water and grinding grain. They were made of reeds woven together into paddles which were then fixed to a central axis. The concept was almost certainly suggested by the use of the sail on ships, but the Persians were already making use of wind on land through the ventilation system known as the windcatcher (wind tower), a structure attached to the top of a building which drew cool air down, pushing warmer air up and out. Scholars continue to debate whether the Persians or the Egyptians were the first to develop the windcatcher, but the evidence seems to favor the Persians, pre-dating the Achaemenid Period.
Elite Military Units & Uniforms
The Median king Cyaxares (r. 625-585 BCE) was the first in the region to divide his military into regiments and units (infantry, archers, cavalry) but Cyrus the Great, who conquered Media, reformed the earlier model, organizing the military on the decimal system where each unit was comprised of ten lesser units: 10 men = a company; 10 companies = a battalion; 10 battalions = a division; 10 divisions = a corps. Different units were identified by different colored uniforms (purple, yellow, blue). They also developed the concept of the elite military unit: the famous 10,000 Persian Immortals of the Achaemenid Empire and the Savaran Knights under the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE).
Heavily Armored Cavalry
The Parthians were the first to develop the concept of heavily armored cavalry in response to the arms and armor of their Greek and Roman adversaries. The Parthian cataphract wore a steel helmet and chain mail tunic which covered them from their necks to past their knees and down their arms and their horses were equally protected. Cataphracts carried composite bows, swords, daggers, and lances. This concept was further developed by the Sassanians to create their elite force of armored cavalry, the Savaran Knights, among the greatest fighting forces of the ancient world.
Monotheism
Monotheism was first introduced in Egypt under the reign of Akhenaten, and some scholars and writers (among them Sigmund Freud) have advanced the claim that Moses was influenced by Akhenaten's religion or may even have been one of his priests. However that may be, the Persian monotheistic religion of Zoroastrianism was founded c. 1500-1000 BCE by the prophet Zoroaster and was fully developed by the time early Judaism began to take shape (6th century BCE - 70 CE). Zoroastrianism held there was only one supreme being, Ahura Mazda, and the purpose of one's life was to follow the will of the benevolent God through the principles of Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. Zoroastrianism also was the first faith to fully develop the concepts of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
Many of the most recognizable concepts, customs, and inventions in the modern-day – if their origins are considered at all – are incorrectly attributed to the Greeks who wrote about them or later Muslim Arabs who did the same. Actually, however, all of the above – and more – came from the Persian capacity for imagination; to see what was and envision how it could be better.
it seems one way or another we cannot avoid being ruled by white supremacist bullshit, thoughtless self-validating echoes oscillating between walls of the same endless narrow twinkling nationalist corridor of time, whether consciously or not
Iran
Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he's ever visited: Iran. In a one-hour, ground-breaking travel special on public television, you'll discover the splendid monuments of Iran's rich and glorious past, learn more about the 20th-century story of this perplexing...
www.ricksteves.com
also it still astounds me how little to no recognition their contributions to modern society have got in western countries. they did human rights first for crying out loud wtf is going with you colonisers! oh nevermind almost forgot how much contempt that concept has held against it to this very day lol
The Most Comprehensive List of Persian Contributions to the World — NICArt
When looking at Persian history and heritage heritage, there is so much to be proud of — and endlessly fascinated by. The flourishing of Persian people and civilization has led to an expansive contributions of science, literature, art, and math to the modern world. Here is the most comprehensive lis
www.nicart.org
Agriculture & Water Irrigation
Iran has been at the helm of agriculture in several ways. To start, Persians were the first to manage to control the forces of nature and domesticating animals and plants existing in the wild state in the plateau. They also invented water irrigation methods caled qanat to procure water to divert the flow to where it’s needed.
According to Professor Ernest Hertzfeld and Sir Arthur Keith, the Caspians i.e. the original inhabitants of the plateau of Iran, were the original agriculturists and that their knowledge of agriculture spread from the Caspian plateau to the three adjoining alluvial plains which later became the site of early urban civilizations. This theory was later corroborated by later excavations in Iran. The oldest known qanat is in the city of Gonabad in Iran, which after 2,700 years still succeeds in providing drinking and agricultural water to people today.
Alcohol
Today, Alcohol is one of the mostly used products in the world. It is used in drinks, foods, and preservatives in its different states and different compositions. It was first invented by a Persian physician named Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi. He worked on different gases and chemicals and invented Alcohol.
Algebra
Khwārizmī, a Persian mathematician, invented modern day Algebra, and the word Algorithm, is even an latinised form of his name. Al-Khwarizmi's Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing) was a pioneering piece of work - offering practical answers for land distribution, rules on inheritance and distributing salaries.
Architecture
According to Professor Arthur Pope (Persian Architecture), Iran has a continuous history of architecture from at least 5,000 B.C. to the present, and characteristic examples of this architecture are distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar.
Astronomy
Historically astronomy has occupied an important position in Persian culture. Many prominent astronomers such as Biruni and Khayyam in the first half of the 11th century and Tusi in the 13th century have played major roles in the advancement of astronomy in Iran during their times. Likewise, astronomy schools such as Maragheh Observatory (13th century) were once among the most prestigious astronomy research institutes in the world.
Backgammon
The popular game of backgammon was first invented in Iran around 3000 BC, making it one of the oldest board games known in our history. In the modern world, it is played with two players and the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of the dice. A player wins if he/she is able to remove all of their pieces from the board before their opponent. Excavations at Shahr-e Sukhteh in Iran found a board game with two dice and 60 checkers. The popularity of backgammon has survived thousands of years in the region as Iranians can still be found playing the game in public parks and cafes all over the country. The game is today known as “nard” and has different initial positions and objectives to the ancient game.
Banks
During the Achaemenian period private banks were established. The most famous was Bank of Egibi which carried on the business of pawn-brokers floating loans and accepting deposits. Its capital was invested in house property, fields, cattle, and in the boats that carried the merchandise. Current accounts were operated and checks were in use. Bank of Murashshu and Sons was founded later in Nippur. It held leases, dug canals and sold water to the farmers, secured monopolies, such as brewing or fisheries which were farmed out at a profit.
Battery
The battery was first designed and made by Persian people. That battery was simple and could produce the current of 1.5 to 2.0 volts. Although this is a minimal amount of current, yet it was a great invention at that time. It consisted of three major components; a pot, a metallic rod and a rod used a cell.
The concept was very simple as they used a pot containing an electrolyte and a rod which was used as a cell. Persian people invented battery, and later on, each civilization worked on its concept to get better results. Today, we are using batteries in its advanced form in almost every field of our life. We can say that all of the credit of inventing battery goes to the Persian civilization.
Bricks
Professor Girshman very clearly shows the gradual evolution of molded and baked bricks in different layers of Siyalk- near Kashan- and by doing so proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that brick was first made in Iran.
Cutlery
According to the Journal of British Institute of Iranian Studies, Volume III published in 1965 in Iran, two very beautifully proportioned silver spoons were found in 1964 in Iran belonging to the second half of the 5th century B.C. One spoon has a duck or swan's head handle. The other, a zoomorphic handle ending in a cloven hoof. The same publication noted that among Achaemenian works of art, other spoons or ladles terminating in swan's handles had been recovered. Also according to Byzantine and Christian sources, the Iranian nobility in Sassanian times, had special knives to serve fruit with, and used gold forks and spoons and special gold cups at their dinner tables.
Early Environmentalists!
From ancient times, Persians have shown great respect for flowers, plants and trees. From times unknown to present day, Persians have advocated planting trees, and there is even a special Derakht Kari (tree planting) day when thousands of trees are plated throughout the country. Another sign of the significance of trees in Persian culture is evidenced in the ruins of Persepolis- the 2,500 year old Achaemenid palace- where numerous flowers and cypress trees are found in the bas-reliefs throughout the palace.
eBay
eBay is one of the most popular ways to buy and sell goods and services on the internet. eBay was founded by Iranian-American billionaire entrepreneur, computer scientist, and philanthropist, Pierre Omidyar. He served as chairman from 1998 to 2015. He became a billionaire at the age of 31 with eBay's 1998 initial public offering.
Gas Masks
An early type of rudimentary gas mask was invented in the 9th century by the Persian Banu Musa Brothers. This gas mask was designed by the brothers to protect workers working in polluted wells. The device was mentioned in the book "Book of Ingenious Devices" that describes 100 inventions.
Guitar
Music is heavenly and even in the ancient days various types of musical instruments were used. According to history, the Persians were very fond of music. One of the many Persian contributions to civilization includes the Guitar – one of the most popular and widely used musical instruments! The Persian type guitar was called Tar. It was made using wooden box and strings. It was invented at a time when musical instruments were quite rare. This is among the top Persian discoveries that was much loved by the monarchs of those days and has influenced Persian music greatly.
Gloves
Xenophon in his Cyropaedia speaks of Iranians covering their hands with thick leather and their fingers in frames thereby explaining how he came to know for the first time what Iranians used in order to protect their hands against cold and frosty winds. This shows that the Greeks did not know what gloves were. Excavations in Ziwieh in Iran have produced a kind of a glove used as adornment belonging to the 7th century B.C.
Grape Vine and Wine
The laboratory analysis of a 4,500 year old clay pot excavated in the northwestern part of Iran showed that it was used for storing wine. To date, this is the oldest wine container found. The grape-vine, which is indigenous to Iran, was introduced to China by Can K'ien in 128 B.C. at the time of the Chinese Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.). The introduction of the vine from Iran to China is well attested. The word for wine the Chinese envoy carried with him to his country was budo, which apparently came from the Persian badeh.
Human Rights
The Cyrus Cylinder has been historically recognised as the the world’s first universal charter of human rights. Created in 534 BCE, the Cyrus Cylinder is constructed out of clay and inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script, and predates the Magna Carta by one millennium. It was discovered in Babylon in 1879, and is now kept in the British Museum in London.
Modern Medicine
Ibn Sina, a Persian polymath, is often called the father of modern medicine. He wrote the book Canon medicinae, a medical encyclopedia, which became a standard medical text at many medieval universities and remained in use as late as 1650, more than 650 years after his death.
Orchestra
Excavations in Chogha Mish, about 15 miles south-east of Dezful in the province of Khoozestan have provided evidence that it was a city of considerable size in the Protoliterate period (about 5,500 years ago) when writing was probably first invented. Most significant of the items found are the cylinder seal impressions on clay. Per Sylvia Matheson in Persia: An Archeological Guide, "one of these gives the earliest known evidence of music as an organized art-form, showing an orchestra and a vocalist."
Pants and Long Coats
The trousers that we wear today along coats that was customary until very recently in Europe is a Persian heirloom. None of the nations of the old world except Iranians wore trousers and long tunics coming to the knee. The pants that were called in old Persian Sharval (modem Persian Shalvar) were accepted later by the Greeks with its name in the form of Saraballa, in Latin Sarabara. It was accepted by Arabs and was called Serbal and Serval, in Spanish it is called Ceroulas and in Hungary it is called Schalwary and in Turkish Sharval.
Perfumes
The art of obtaining the essence of various flowers and preserving them in small containers was for the first time invented by the Zoroastrians in Iran as perfume played a great role in Zoroastrian religious ceremonies. From the Old Testament we learn how the ancient Persians considered perfume of utmost importance. It is stated in Esther that the virgins who were being prepared to be presented to Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, were obliged to be purified with oil of myrrh and for the next six months with sweet scents and other things. Baths In excavations headed by Professor Girshman in Shoosh (Susa), in a layer attributed to 2,000 years B.C., bathrooms were found in the houses of the richer classes in the Susian community.
Persian Empire (and First and Most Powerful in History)
The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D. The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to India’s Indus Valley in the East. This Iron Age dynasty, sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, was a global hub of culture, religion, science, art and technology for more than 200 years before it fell to the invading armies of Alexander the Great.
Polo (Chovgan)
Chowgan (Polo) s an ancient Persian game. The oldest mention of this game is in Ferdosi's Shahnameh (composed nearly 2,000 years ago) where the game played between Siyavash and his Persian retinue in one side and Afrasiyab, the Tooranian King and his brother Garsivaz, on the other is described in the form of poetry. Many Europeans have written their accounts of Shah Abbas Safavi either playing polo or watching the game from the balcony of the Ali Ghapoo palace, in Esfahan, while drinking snow-chilled Shiraz wine with his courtiers.
Also in the book of Esther we have a description of the way the girls who were brought from the country being prepared to meet the King of Persia, had to be bathed in hot baths for the period of a year.
Postal System
Herodotus, the Greek historian, attributes the creation of post and couriers to the Achaemenid Persians. He states, "The entire plan is a Persian innovation." To help facilitate communications within the vast empire of Persia, post stations were built along all routes to provide rest stations for the caravans and fresh horses for couriers on government business. Stations were spaced at preceisely one day's ride along the route, connecting the royal road stretching 2000 miles. Strong, skilled men riding fast, muscular horses carried royal messages as far as 1600 miles in one week. Herodotus marveled, "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these messengers. They will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night." This system of communications was unmatched in speed until the telegraph doomed the horse to obsolescence.
Pottery and Ceramics
Professor Pope states in the Masterpieces of Iranian Art: "In light of the data recently discovered it has been proved that agriculture and perhaps the crafts attached to it i.e. pottery making and weaving originated in Iranian plateau. From several essential points, the civilization in this area began 500 years before Egypt, 1,000 years before India and 7,000 years before China." Professor Girshman corroborates this theory by stating that between 15,000 and 10,000 B.C. prehistoric men lived on the Iranian plateau. He mentions that in 1949 traces of human remains were found in the Bakhtiyari mountains. These men used a coarse, poorly baked pottery.
Refrigerator
The yakhchal is an ancient evaporation cooler which has a two-fold meaning: yakh means “ice” and chal means “pit.” These ancient refrigerators were mainly built and used in Persia. The Persians had mastered the technique of building and using the yakhchal by 400 BC. The structure above the ground was dome-shaped and had a subterranean storage space. Using thick, heat-resistant construction materials, the subterranean storage space was insulated year-round. The underground spaces were up to 5,000 cubic meters in volume. Many of these structures were built hundreds of years ago and are still standing.
Roads
According to Professor Girshman, Iranians in Achaemenid times had developed a method of road building that consisted of paving the softer parts of the road, and even of making artificial ruts for wheeled vehicles. The Greek historian, Herodotus, states that the Persian Royal Road anticipated the Roman road by several centuries.
Rose
Clement Hurat and Louis Delaporte in their book "L'Iran Antique" state that the name of rose in Indo-European and Aramean and Arab languages shows its origin to be Iran because in all these languages the word for it is derived from Zand "Varedha", the perfect plant. In Persian "Vard" means the rose. In Syria the rose is called Vard Juri. The whole district of Jur, or Firoozabad, in the province of Fars in Iran was noted for its air (scent) of red roses. Fars included in its Kharaj (to the Caliph of Baghdad) 30,000 bottles of the essence of rose. Rose was introduced to Spain in the 7th century A.D. hence it was propagated all over Europe.
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh, translated as Book of Kings, is an epic composed by the Iranian poet, Hakim Abul-Qasim Mansur, (later known as Ferdowsi Tusi), and completed around 1010 CE. The epic chronicles the legends and histories of Iranian (Aryan) kings from primordial times to the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century CE, in three successive stages: the mythical, the heroic or legendary, and the historic. After its first appearance in 1010, the Shahnameh directly affected the epic and poetic works of all Persian speakers and writers for centuries.
The Shahnameh was written in classical Persian (Parsi) when the language was emerging from its Middle Persian Pahlavi roots, and at a time when Arabic was the favoured language of literature. As such, Ferdowsi is seen as a national Iranian hero who re-ignited pride in Iranian culture and literature and stablished the Persian language as a language of beauty and sophistication.
Spinach
A. de Candolle believes that it was in Persia where the spinach was first raised as a vegetable. The Spaniards, who spread it throughout Europe, received it through Arabs from Iran. Additional evidence is afforded by the very name of the plant which is of Persian origin. Its name in Persian is aspanah, aspanag or asfinaj; Arabic isfenah or isbenah. Hence Medieval Latin Spinachium, Spanish espinoca, Italian spinaci… The Chinese name for it means "Persian vegetable."
Sulfuric Acid
When it comes to Persian inventions, sulfuric acid deserves a special mention. The discoverer of this acid was Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Jakatra al-Razi. The man was a mathematician, an astronomer and a geographer at the same time. The discovery of sulfuric acid changed many things back then and even today is an integral part of chemical engineering study. This acid is used extensively in various fields – from commercial, industrial to domestic usage. It can be impossible to build a lot of things without sulfuric acid, making it one of the most important Persian inventions gifted to mankind.
Textile Industry
Textile in Iran can be traced back to the beginning of the Neolithic times. Professor Pope believes that textile industry originated in Iranian plateau. Excavations in the early 1950's in a cave near the Caspian Sea produced evidence of woven sheep's wool and goat hair, dated by the carbon 14 method to about 6,500 B.C.
From 4th or possibly 5th millennium B.C. traces of skillful fine plain linen cloth and signs of tablet weaving at the end of the 4th or early in the 3d millennium B.C. were recovered by the French Mission at Susa (Shoosh). Pierre Amiet in his book Elam, states that tablet weaving in the Susian civilization is proved by the discovery of a miniature weaving tablet in the foundation deposits of one of the Susa temples. Also a seal tablet belonging to the second half of the 4th millennium B.C. shows a weaving loom.
Wheel
Will Durant, in his famous work, "The History of Civilization," states that the wheel was first used for transport in Elam, in Iran. By about 2,000 B.C. wheeled vehicles were in use from Indian valley to the Syrian coast. But Gordon Childe states that in Egypt no wheeled vehicles were in use before 1,600 B.C.
While this is quite a comprehensive list, there are still so many more that we can add. What are some inventions, ancient or modern, that you can think of? Let us know!
5 ways ancient Persia shaped our modern world
The Greeks vilified them and historians ignored them, but the Persians were the first state, and they defined what it meant to be an empire.
bigthink.com
5 ways ancient Persia shaped our modern world
From landscaped gardens to road systems, the Persians were among the first to create many things we still enjoy today.
Credit: Archivist / Adobe Stock
Key Takeaways
- The Persian Empire has been vilified by Greek historians and overlooked by Eurocentric perceptions of history.
- Yet they gave the world so much: a postal service, a road network, a functioning government, and even gardens.
- We tend to focus more on the empires after Persia — Rome and the Islamic caliphates — but these were the inheritors of Persian ingenuity.
It’s often said that history is written by the winners. But when you look back on the ancient world, it’s more accurate to say that history is written by historians. Although China has a strong claim, many tend to cite ancient Greece as the birthplace of history as a discipline. In Herodotus and Thucydides, we see the origins of the historical method — a vaguely reputable attempt to document events, and not a somewhat-historical imaginarium of magical beasts, bored gods, and local heroes. And how did the Greeks use their histories? Well, to slander their enemies. In Greek “history,” we see the Persian Empire as a place of dissolute, depraved, decadent demons who sought only the death and enslavement of all civilized peoples.
This vilification of the Persian Empire continued through two millennia of Eurocentric education – a “whig” historical account which went from Greece to Rome to Knights to Britain and then to America. Another issue, once historians realized the “rest of the world” might offer at least something, is that the study of Persia suffered for want of primary sources available to Western institutions. There were very few Persian translations (not to mention texts to translate). Even today, Amazon has over 20,000 books on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Persia doesn’t even have its own section.
Yet the Persians were one of the greatest civilizations in the world. If you speak to any Iranian, they will not be so easily quieted on Persia’s contributions to the world. The very reason Iran, today, is such a proud and distinct place owes itself, partially, to the light that was Persia.
So, what did the Persian Empire — which once covered modern-day Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan — provide the world? Well, here are five things the Persians did for us.
All roads lead to Persepolis
Roads date back a long time. Egypt and Sumeria had roads. Heck, the first-ever settlements probably used some cobbles to cobble together a road. But the Persians introduced The Royal Road. Under the Achaemenid Dynasty (550–330 BCE), they built a network of over 2,500 kilometers of roads, from their outer fringe provinces to their beating capital Persepolis. The Romans, famous for their roads, learned and modeled themselves after the Persians. Such a network was necessary for an organized, efficient, and integrated empire. Without good roads, most “empires” are simply a collection of disconnected and temporarily cowed vassals.
It’s Satrapies-y if you try
And the reason why roads were so important for Persia is because of their huge ambition. Persia was not simply a military empire ruled by the sword; it was an integrated, centralized power with a well-considered bureaucracy and a working political infrastructure. This was all run through their “satrapy” system.
A satrap was a local governor who was appointed by the emperor, and who was given certain regional freedoms to do what was best — so long as it served the good of the empire. There were roughly 20 satrapies over 5 million square kilometers of empire. It wasn’t a total devolution of power (as in, “Do what you want so long as you pay taxes”), but it instead found the administrative Goldilocks zone that facilitated effective government but with regular oversight. It’s because of satrapies that Persia is often identified as the first ever “state.”
Letters to Darius
The Persians invented a formal, functioning postal system called the “Chapar Khaneh.” The Egyptians and Assyrians had writing and courier services, but it was only under Darius I (548-486 BCE) that the world got its first network of relay systems and postal houses. A parcel-carrying Persian postman would hop on a horse, gallop it to exhaustion, and then swap horses at an exchange house (which were roughly a day apart). After a quick breakfast of figs on flatbread, they’d get a fresh horse and be galloping on their way before you could say “chafed thighs.” It was all far quicker, far safer, and far more effective than anything that had come before.
Tolerance in the Persian Empire
Under the great emperors of Achaemenid rule, conquered people were allowed to keep their beliefs and religious practices, as long as they didn’t upset the stability of the empire. The Persian Empire spanned three continents and was a diverse, multifarious federation of many tribes, ethnicities, and religious identities. It was quite acceptable for a Jew, Manichaean, or Zoroastrian to all debate theology in the cultural melting pot that was Persepolis. (Zoroastrianism was the official state religion of Persia and is also, at 4,000 years old, possibly the oldest monotheistic religion.)
As a result of this, Persian cities became a source of great scientific, philosophical, and technological innovation. Empires before the Persians, like the Egyptians and the Assyrians, forced people to bow to their gods and adopt their ways. The Babylonians are recorded in the Bible as forcing the Jews to stop their worship. The Persians are the first significant claimants to being as close to “tolerant” as the ancient world could be.
Green spaces and BBQs
The reason most houses have a garden or yard is probably all because of the Persians. The Egyptians had wonderful oases, the Babylonians had their Hanging Gardens, but the Persians took gardens mainstream. Persians saw a garden as a “paradise on earth,” and anyone who could afford to would hire a landscape gardener or horticulturist to make sure something verdant and lovely was always within eyeshot of the house. According to Herodotus’ Histories, the emperor Xerxes I even had “an orchard of every kind of tree that bears edible fruit.”
Persian Gardens, or “Chahar Bagh,” often featured a wide variety of plant life and flowing water features. They were places of recreation but also contemplation, discussion, and business. The Islamic gardens of Al-Andalus in Spain and the Mughal gardens in India were based on Persian gardens. Meanwhile, the Roman statesman, Lucullus, saw these gardens firsthand when on a diplomatic mission to what is now modern Turkey. When he got back home, he brought a bit of Persia to Rome with “The Gardens of Lucullus.” They caught on, and from there, they made their way across the empire and into Europeans’ hearts.
Persian by another name
Persia has given the world many things. It was the center of the world for half a millennium. It was the first empire to have genuine ambition: to bring together many peoples under one state. Persia was one of the first empires to recognize that diversity and multiculturalism could be a strength. Yet, it’s still often overlooked in historical discussions. In many ways, and with dark irony, part of this is due to the success of Persian innovations. Roads, the postal service, and centralized administrative bureaucracy were inherited by successor empires that we talk more about, like Rome and the Abbasid Caliphate. But we shouldn’t forget Persia, from there modern civilization began.
Inventions & Innovations of Ancient Persia
Ancient Persian culture contributed many of the aspects of the modern world which people take for granted as having always existed. The designation “Persia” comes from the Greeks – primarily from the...
www.worldhistory.org
Birthday Celebrations, Animation, the Guitar, and Dessert
The Persians were the first to develop the practice of lavish celebrations of one's birthday.
The Persians were also the first to develop the practice of lavish celebrations of one's birthday as well as the art of animation for entertainment and the custom of having dessert after a meal. Birthday celebrations originated (as they did in other cultures) with a festival honoring the monarch's birth but gradually spread to members of the nobility and then the lower classes. In ancient Persia, birthdays were celebrated with special foods the guest of honor would enjoy and a cake for dessert with candles. Entertainment might have included animation – as evidenced by artifacts such as a cup which, when rapidly turned, showed a goat leaping in the air to snatch leaves from a tree – and music featuring vocals accompanied by stringed instruments such as the cartar (also known as the tar) and the sestar, precursor of the modern-day guitar. The practice of serving dessert after a meal was not reserved only for birthdays but followed every day's evening meal.
The Teaching Hospital
Under the reign of Shapur I (240-270 CE), the Academy of Gundeshapur was founded, quickly becoming the major intellectual and cultural center of the region. It is now thought its founding was inspired by Shapur I's principal wife, Azadokht Shahbanu, who first brought Greek physicians to the Imperial Court at Ctesiphon to establish a hospital. Under the later monarch Kosrau I (r. 531-579 CE), Gundeshapur flourished as the first teaching hospital in the world where young doctors-in-training worked under the supervision of more experienced physicians.
Windmills & Air Conditioning
The Persians invented the windmill c. 500 CE, although, it should be noted, this is the first recorded mention and the devices were probably in use earlier. Windmills were used in pumping water and grinding grain. They were made of reeds woven together into paddles which were then fixed to a central axis. The concept was almost certainly suggested by the use of the sail on ships, but the Persians were already making use of wind on land through the ventilation system known as the windcatcher (wind tower), a structure attached to the top of a building which drew cool air down, pushing warmer air up and out. Scholars continue to debate whether the Persians or the Egyptians were the first to develop the windcatcher, but the evidence seems to favor the Persians, pre-dating the Achaemenid Period.
Elite Military Units & Uniforms
The Median king Cyaxares (r. 625-585 BCE) was the first in the region to divide his military into regiments and units (infantry, archers, cavalry) but Cyrus the Great, who conquered Media, reformed the earlier model, organizing the military on the decimal system where each unit was comprised of ten lesser units: 10 men = a company; 10 companies = a battalion; 10 battalions = a division; 10 divisions = a corps. Different units were identified by different colored uniforms (purple, yellow, blue). They also developed the concept of the elite military unit: the famous 10,000 Persian Immortals of the Achaemenid Empire and the Savaran Knights under the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE).
Heavily Armored Cavalry
The Parthians were the first to develop the concept of heavily armored cavalry in response to the arms and armor of their Greek and Roman adversaries. The Parthian cataphract wore a steel helmet and chain mail tunic which covered them from their necks to past their knees and down their arms and their horses were equally protected. Cataphracts carried composite bows, swords, daggers, and lances. This concept was further developed by the Sassanians to create their elite force of armored cavalry, the Savaran Knights, among the greatest fighting forces of the ancient world.
Monotheism
Monotheism was first introduced in Egypt under the reign of Akhenaten, and some scholars and writers (among them Sigmund Freud) have advanced the claim that Moses was influenced by Akhenaten's religion or may even have been one of his priests. However that may be, the Persian monotheistic religion of Zoroastrianism was founded c. 1500-1000 BCE by the prophet Zoroaster and was fully developed by the time early Judaism began to take shape (6th century BCE - 70 CE). Zoroastrianism held there was only one supreme being, Ahura Mazda, and the purpose of one's life was to follow the will of the benevolent God through the principles of Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. Zoroastrianism also was the first faith to fully develop the concepts of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
Many of the most recognizable concepts, customs, and inventions in the modern-day – if their origins are considered at all – are incorrectly attributed to the Greeks who wrote about them or later Muslim Arabs who did the same. Actually, however, all of the above – and more – came from the Persian capacity for imagination; to see what was and envision how it could be better.
it seems one way or another we cannot avoid being ruled by white supremacist bullshit, thoughtless self-validating echoes oscillating between walls of the same endless narrow twinkling nationalist corridor of time, whether consciously or not
Last edited:
Alcohol was most certainly not invented by al-Razi-- fermentation naturally occurs, and had been known for many thousands of years before al-Razi. Beer and wine had also been drunk for thousands of years prior. al-Razi discovered pure alcohol (ethanol) through distillation, and its value as antiseptic.
I appreciate the clarification, the wording is a tad oversimplified and was more concerned with trying to squeeze it all in one post
Because an ally is an ally. While the US is fighting China, in the future, Iran could, in theory, hit US bases in the Middle East.
But what I am seeing over the next few days just stunned me about BRICs as a whole, or just the anti-US alliance.
Russia can't fight, Iran can't fight, North Korea can fight, but will get massacred in a future South Korean and US war if it happens due to better Western air power.
And China, which should be helping its allies, is not doing anything. Pakistan isn't even helping Iran...
I guess all your fetishizing of military equipment is meaningless in the real world? Undoubtedly China is coming out ahead of the US in all this, and they didn't have to commit nearly what the US does to it's military.