Persis

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Persis (disambiguation).
Persis
Περσίς
Persís
Region
The Persian Empire, about 500 BC; Persis is the central southern province with the red outline. Its main cities are Persepolis and Pasargadae.
The Persian Empire, about 500 BC; Persis is the central southern province with the red outline. Its main cities are Persepolis and Pasargadae.

Persis (

Fars region, located to the southwest of modern-day Iran, now a province. The Persians are thought to have initially migrated either from Central Asia or, more probably, from the north through the Caucasus.[2] They would then have migrated to the current region of Persis in the early 1st millennium BC.[2]
The country name Persia was derived directly from the Old Persian Parsa.

Achaemenid Empire

Main article: Achaemenid Empire
Elamite and Babylonian. British Museum.[3][4]

The ancient

Indus Valley in its far east.[5] The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae, two of the four capitals of the Achaemenid Empire
, are located in Fars.

Alexandrian Empire

The Achaemenid Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BC, incorporating most of their vast empire.

Several Hellenistic satraps of Persis are known (following the conquests of Alexander the Great) from circa 330 BC, especially

persophile policy.[6][7][8] Peucestas retained the satrapy of Persis until the Battle of Gabiene (316 BC), after which he was removed from his position by Antigonus.[8] A short period of Antigonid rule followed, until Seleucus took possession of the region in 312 BC.[7]

Seleucid Empire

Vadfradad I (Autophradates I). 3rd century BC. Istakhr (Persepolis) mint.[9]

When the

Antiochus I or possibly later, Persis emerged as a state with a level of independence that minted its own coins.[10]

"Frataraka" Governors of the Seleucid Empire
Main article: Frataraka

Several later Persian rulers, forming the

Vādfradād I obtained independence circa 150 BC, when Seleucid power waned in the areas of southwestern Persia and the Persian Gulf region.[8]

Kings of Persis, under the Parthian Empire

Dārēv I
(Darios I) used for the first time the title of mlk (King). 2nd century BC.
Main article: Kings of Persis

During an apparent transitional period, corresponding to the reigns of Vādfradād II and another uncertain king, no titles of authority appeared on the reverse of their coins. The earlier title prtrk' zy alhaya (

Dārēv I however, the new title of mlk, or king, appeared, sometimes with the mention of prs (Persis), suggesting that the kings of Persis had become independent rulers.[12]

When the

Arsacid king Mithridates I (ca. 171-138 BC) took control of Persis, he left the Persian dynasts in office, known as the Kings of Persis, and they were allowed to continue minting coins with the title of mlk ("King").[11][13]

Sasanian Empire

Main article: Pars (Sasanian province)
A Sassanid relief showing the investiture of Ardashir I

Babak was the ruler of a small town called Kheir. Babak's efforts in gaining local power at the time escaped the attention of

Artabanus IV, the Arsacid
Emperor of the time. Babak and his eldest son Shapur managed to expand their power over all of Persis.

The subsequent events are unclear, due to the sketchy nature of the sources. It is however certain that following the death of Babak around 220, Ardashir who at the time was the governor of Darabgird, got involved in a power struggle of his own with his elder brother Shapur. The sources tell us that in 222, Shapur was killed when the roof of a building collapsed on him.

Ardaxšir (Artaxerxes) V, defeated the last legitimate Parthian king,

Ardaxšir I (Ardashir I), šāhanšāh ī Ērān, becoming the first king of the new Sasanian Empire.[12]

At this point, Ardashir moved his capital further to the south of Persis and founded a capital at Ardashir-Khwarrah (formerly Gur, modern day

Firouzabad).[14]
After establishing his rule over Persis,
Sassanid Persian
Empire, demanding fealty from the local princes of Fars, and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.

Sarvestan Palace in Sarvestan

Artabanus marched a second time against Ardashir I in 224. Their armies clashed at

Sassanian Empire, over an even larger territory, once again making Persia a leading power in the known world, only this time along with its arch-rival and successor to Persia's earlier opponents (the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire); the Byzantine Empire
.

The Sassanids ruled for 425 years, until the Muslim armies conquered the empire. Afterward, the Persians started to convert to Islam, this making it much easier for the new Muslim empire to continue the expansion of Islam.

Persis then passed hand to hand through numerous dynasties, leaving behind numerous historical and ancient monuments; each of which has its own values as a world heritage, reflecting the history of the province,

Firouzabad
are all reminders of this. Arab invaders brought about a decline of Zoroastrian rule and made Islam ascendant from the 7th century.

See also

References

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Persis".
  1. ISBN 9783406093975
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780521611916
    .
  3. ^ "cylinder seal | British Museum". The British Museum.
  4. ^ "Darius' seal, photo - Livius". www.livius.org.
  5. ISBN 978-0-8160-5722-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  6. ISBN 9789004217553
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780857710185
    .
  8. ^ a b c Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica. "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica". iranicaonline.org.
  9. ^ "CNG: Feature Auction CNG 96. KINGS of PERSIS. Vādfradād (Autophradates) I. 3rd century BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 15.89 g, 9h). Istakhr (Persepolis) mint". www.cngcoins.com.
  10. ^ The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3 (1), p. 299
  11. ^ a b FRATARAKA – Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  12. ^ a b "CNG: Feature Auction CNG 90. KINGS of PERSIS. Vahbarz (Oborzos). 3rd century BC. AR Obol (10mm, 0.50 g, 11h)". www.cngcoins.com.
  13. ^ The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3 (1), p. 302
  14. ISBN 9781846031083
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Persis&oldid=1208584922"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Persis. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy