The Persian Empire, which began as a series of loose nomadic tribes, were united by Cyrus the Great and eventually grew to become one of the largest and most powerful empires during its time. There were many factors in determining the nature and limits of this empire, with the geography of the region being one such factor; this was particularly important in defining the limits of the Persian Empire during its early phases and later on when it had reached its peak. Although geography played some part in determining these limits, other factors too like internal and external conflicts also contributed to the nature and limits of the Persian Empire. These factors would combine to accommodate the growth of the empire and enable its ascension to
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As evidenced by a number of images on surviving pottery and reliefs, the lightly armed Persian soldiers were no match for the much more heavily armed Greek soldiers. This, coupled with the Greeks’ arguably superior military tacticians, meant that the Persian armies were no match for the Greek armies (Nardo 1998), as evidenced by Persian losses during the Persian War. Similar losses can be seen with the Egyptian revolts. The Egyptians took to hiring Greek mercenaries; as they were readily available, and they were too able to rise up and revolt successfully against the Persians, as the Persians were not able to combat them. Along with this military weakness, the Persian Empire had very little in terms of a navy, as evidenced by their reliance on Spartan naval forces to combat those of the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War. This lack of navy was, as mentioned above, a factor that halted Persian expansion across the seas. Furthermore, this lack of a strong naval force hindered the Persians when they were attempting to win naval victories against the Athenians in the Aegean …show more content…
Although geography played an important role in the shaping of this empire particularly in its early period and later on when it had reached its peak, it only shaped the Persian Empire to some extent. There were other factors that arguably, had more of an impact in determining the nature and limits of this empire. Internal conflicts both within and outside of the imperial palace affected the stability of the empire throughout its lifetime. The style of monarchy brought about a multitude of internal squabbles, and this in turn affected the stability of the entire empire. Furthermore revolts within the empire but external to the palace came in the form of satraps who, when they had reached “glass ceilings” particularly when the Persian Empire ceased expansion, attacked the empire in the form of problematic revolts. External conflicts too were problematic, and as a result with feuds with the Greeks and Egyptians, the Persian Empire lost vital territories; some of which the empire would spend many decades attempting to bring back under their control. Such external conflicts also illustrated the relative weaknesses of not only Persian military might, but also in administrative control. With such a large empire, the Persian king was at the limits of his governance, eventually causing the empire to begin collapsing under such weight. All in all, these factors combined
As evidenced by a number of images on surviving pottery and reliefs, the lightly armed Persian soldiers were no match for the much more heavily armed Greek soldiers. This, coupled with the Greeks’ arguably superior military tacticians, meant that the Persian armies were no match for the Greek armies (Nardo 1998), as evidenced by Persian losses during the Persian War. Similar losses can be seen with the Egyptian revolts. The Egyptians took to hiring Greek mercenaries; as they were readily available, and they were too able to rise up and revolt successfully against the Persians, as the Persians were not able to combat them. Along with this military weakness, the Persian Empire had very little in terms of a navy, as evidenced by their reliance on Spartan naval forces to combat those of the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War. This lack of navy was, as mentioned above, a factor that halted Persian expansion across the seas. Furthermore, this lack of a strong naval force hindered the Persians when they were attempting to win naval victories against the Athenians in the Aegean …show more content…
Although geography played an important role in the shaping of this empire particularly in its early period and later on when it had reached its peak, it only shaped the Persian Empire to some extent. There were other factors that arguably, had more of an impact in determining the nature and limits of this empire. Internal conflicts both within and outside of the imperial palace affected the stability of the empire throughout its lifetime. The style of monarchy brought about a multitude of internal squabbles, and this in turn affected the stability of the entire empire. Furthermore revolts within the empire but external to the palace came in the form of satraps who, when they had reached “glass ceilings” particularly when the Persian Empire ceased expansion, attacked the empire in the form of problematic revolts. External conflicts too were problematic, and as a result with feuds with the Greeks and Egyptians, the Persian Empire lost vital territories; some of which the empire would spend many decades attempting to bring back under their control. Such external conflicts also illustrated the relative weaknesses of not only Persian military might, but also in administrative control. With such a large empire, the Persian king was at the limits of his governance, eventually causing the empire to begin collapsing under such weight. All in all, these factors combined