Engineering an Empire
The Persians: Engineering an Empire. The Persian Empire is one of the most mysterious major civilizations in the ancient world. Persia became an empire under the Achaemenid king, Cyrus the Great, who created a policy of religious and cultural tolerance that became the hallmark of Persian rule. The empire that Cyrus left behind expanded to India and Greece under the reign of Darius I, who built the capital of Persepolis. Among the engineering feats of the Persian Empire were an innovative system of water management accomplished with simple tools; a cross-continent paved roadway stretching 1500 miles that made travel safe and communication possible; a canal linking the Nile to the Red Sea, a forerunner of the modern Suez Canal; and the creation of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Mausoleum of Maussollos.
| Episode 10 - The Persians |
| Related Links |
| Achaemenid Empire - wikipedia The Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC), or First Persian Empire, was an empire based in Western Asia in Iran, founded in the 6th century BC by Cyrus the Great. |
| Secrets of Archaeology - At the Court of the King of Kings During the 4th century B.C., the great Persian civilization, which was the first multiethnic empire in history, reached its peak. |
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