The Sacking of Persepolis

While there is a plethora of material and publicity given to the Roman and Greek empires, there is a one empire that is not so well known. This is the Persian Empire. The first Persian Empire to be exact that flourished between 550-330BC. The empire stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus valley bordering what is today India. The capital of the first Persian empire called Persepolis is located in what is now Iran and it did not adequate exposure as foreign scholars were discouraged from traveling to the region by the highly orthodox government that had been in power for since the 1970's. However, recently restrictions have eased and archeologists now have an opportunity to study the ancient ruins to piece together the story of the Persian empire.

Persepolis boasted buildings with towering ceilings of cedar wood held up by many dozen columns as pictured above. One building was called the hall of mirrors as the walls were so polished that they reflected light much like an mirror. Additionally, the site boasted the first first formal garden complex with a intricate aqueduct system to provide the gardens with water. Clay tablets found at the site mention in cuneiform writing that the gardens boasted trees from every region of the empire to reflect imperial dominance. Along with the city the gardens were a show of strength to visiting dignitaries from the far reaches of the Persian empire.

The doors to prominent building had fittings made of gold that would have made Persepolis truly a sight to behold, a shinning jewel. The Greeks who were the mortal enemies of the Persians on many occasions mentioned that the Persians are uncivilized and brutal. However, evidence has been found that suggests that the Persian empire grew so large as a result of tolerance rather than thuggery. There is an independent account in the Jewish book of Ezra (Chapter 1) that mentions the Persians liberated the Jews and and also extended freedom of religion so as long as they paid their contribution to support the empire. This mismatch in accounts could be possibly due to bias resulting from animosity with the Greeks

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Location of Persepolis

The Persians also had an extensive infrastructure network of roads and couriers spanning the length and breadth of the empire. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions no mortal thing travels faster than the Persian couriers. The secret behind this efficiency is the Persian innovation of staging posts. These posts are usually manned by soldiers and have a compliment of horses stabled. When a courier reaches a staging post a fresh horse would be given that is rested and thus able to maintain a brisk galloping speed. This method ensures that the speed of the courier is optimal throughout the journey. Staging posts with their compliment of soldiers also secured the travel routes of the empire as they discouraged bandit raids on weary travelers. Moreover, Persians are possibly inventors of the concept of luxury living which eventually spread to other civilizations such as the Greeks and Roman's. Persians were know to have lavish feasts with copious amounts of wine which the Greeks looked on as a weakness according to Herodotus.

The Greek General Alexander the great warned his soldiers that should they overindulge much like the Persians that it will be their greatest weakness in battles to come. His disdain for the Persians and what he described as their corrupting influence in the East was so ripe that by 324BC he rallied his forces to conquer the Persian empire. At Issus in Turkey the Persian army and Alexanders forces clashed resulting in a resounding success for Alexander the great. Over the next two years Alexander the great pushed forward into the heart of the Persian empire. In 331BC Alexanders forces lay siege to the Persian capital Persepolis. By this time the Persian army was devastated and Persepolis was left undefended.

Alexander the great proceeded to burn Persepolis in a night of drunken rage instructing his soldiers to erase every sign of opulence and luxury that was synonymous of the Persian empire. Historian believe that this act was probably carried out because Persepolis was a symbol of Persian power. His soldiers looted and pillaged the city, collecting flammable materials like curtains, garments, carpets and what ever they can find to fuel a fire. Thus resulting in the end of what was the jewel in the East.

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