Page 92 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

The Lesson ...

Location and History

From about 539 to 330 BCE, the Persian Empire (based in modern-day Iran) was one of the dominant
powers in the known world. Sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, it covered what is now the
Middle East and West Asia, stretching as far as Egypt, India, Turkey, and even at times pushing into
Europe. The Persian Empire clearly impacted countless cultures during such a significant stretch of time.

What is the origin of this empire? From the previous chapter, it was seen that after the fall of Assyria in
the sixth century BCE, the kingdom was divided among prominent territories. Precisely, “Babylon and
Media divided the Assyrian Empire with Media taking the land east and north of the Tigris River. The
Medes turned their attention to the north and toward Asia Minor.” 127 One of the groups of people
under the rule of the Medes were the Persian people of the Ansan tribal kingdom. Found in the south of
the median empire, Ansan and the other Persian tribes were forced to pay tributes to Media, which they
weren't too happy about. Around 559 BCE, a man named Cyrus II (often referred to as Cyrus the
great) rose to power as king of Ansan, replacing his father, Cambyses I. Cyrus immediately set to
organizing a coalition of the Persian tribes and declared rebellion against the Medes. He eventually
captured and took over its ruler Astyages (around 550 BCE).

Though conquered by the Persians, the Medes continued to hold a place of honor in the Persian Empire.
This is probably due to the strong relations between the two territories through marriage. Indeed, Cyrus’
mother was Astyages’ daughter. 128 The combination of the two under Cyrus the Great was commonly
referred to as Medo-Persia. Biblical references frequently combine “the Medes and the Persians” (Dan.
5:28; cp. Esther 1:19; 10:2). The kings of the Persian Empire are called “the kings of Media and Persia”
(Dan. 8:20). “The combined strength of the Persians and the Medes led to the conquest of Babylon in
539 BCE, with the resulting extension of their empire over much of the Middle East until the conquest of
Alexander the Great in 331 BCE” 129 Besides Mesopotamia (Babylonia), Cyrus the Great went on to add
Asia Minor to Medo-Persian holdings and died fighting to extend his borders in the east. His successor,
Cambyses (530–522 BCE), added Egypt to the empire, and Darius I (521–486 BCE) expanded holdings in
the east and, on the other end, moved across the Hellespont into Greece. 130 Although the Greeks were
able to repel the Persians, Darius, with his conquests, created the greatest empire in Western Asia up to
that time.

127 Bean, A. F. (2003). Medes, Media. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler
(Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1095). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

128 Ibid.
129 John F. Walvoord: THE NATIONS IN PROPHECY: https://bible.org/seriespage/6-medes-and-persians

130 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
323). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

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