Persepolis Essay

Register to read the introduction… This wealth was put into the royal treasury which became important for financial administration and storage of wealth. Darius followed Lydian tradition and minted coins gold coins “darics” and silver coins “sigloi”, stamped with insignia. He also introduced a new weight, the “karsha”, in the shape of a pyramidion. The standardization of weights and measures and the introduction of coinage was effective in facilitating imperial trade and provided flexibility in the exchange of goods throughout the empire. Barter or material exchange still existed and was not replaced by monetary exchange. However, the use of money brought all people and places within the empire into a type of unified economy with a standardized medium of exchange. Communication was also an important feature of the economy as it was essential to get messages across the vast empire and distanced satrapies. The Persepolis tablets refer to a “Royal Road” which stretched from Persepolis to Susa and from Susa to Sardis. Official royal mail and couriers travelled quickly along this road as described by Herodotus, nothing mortal travels as fast as Persian couriers.” This road created an effective system of communication between provinces and allowed trade to flourish. Overall, Darius introduced an effective monetary system, standardized weights and measures and constructed the royal road which was later extended by Xerxes, in order to create a solid economic foundation for the Persian …show more content…
The images were almost entirely of men, and the royal inscriptions such as the Behistan Rock and inscriptions from Persepolis do not refer to women at all. That having been said, the position of Persian women in this society was rich, varied and important. A woman’s role and status was highly stratified according to their occupation and usefulness to the empire. Women owned property, often managed their own assets, could work and earn wages for themselves and were capable of becoming economically independent. However, Persian women did not have the right of inheritance, and the estate of a family was passed on to a woman’s husband if she was her parents’ only child. Women in specialized occupations such as the stone polishers and weavers received rations that were equal to or more than those received by men. In non-specialized occupations, then men received more than women. If a woman gave birth to a son, both the mother and nurse received higher rations. Consistently, mothers of boys received twice the amount compared to mothers of girls. As Herodotus states, “the chief proof of manliness is to be the father of a large family of boys.” Royal women were able to move freely and were not confined to harems. A royal woman’s status was dependent on the relationship between them and the king. This is shown in Persepolis fortification and treasury tablets which refer to Artazostre, Darius’ daughter, as “wife of Mardonius, daughter of the king” and signifies marital status and relationship with the king. The king’s mother held the highest rank and appeared to be head of female members of the household. The queen or principle wife was next, followed by the king’s daughters and sisters. They all had titles with recognized authority at the court, and had their own administration for managing their considerable wealth. Greek writers portrayed Persian