Page 93 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

At its fullest extent, the empire spread over a remarkable 3,000 miles from east to west. It stretched
from the Indus River in India to the Mediterranean Sea and included Asia Minor and part of Greece. This
giant empire engulfed three great river valleys: the Indus, the Tigris-Euphrates, and the Nile.

The birthplace and governing center of the Persian empire was the modern-day Iranian plateau. The
plateau of Iran, the homeland of the ancient Persians, averages 3,000 to 5,000 feet in altitude. Over half
of the drainage of the plateau flows inward to form inland lakes and sterile swamps. In its central region
lie great sand and salt deserts. This continuous desert region stretches northwest to southeast, about
800 miles in length, and varies from 100 to 200 miles in width.

At the western edge of the plateau rise the Zagros Mountains, with several peaks over 10,000 feet in
altitude. This range is about 600 miles in length and 120 miles in width. It consists of numerous parallel
folds enclosing fruitful valleys where wheat, barley, and other grains and fruits grow. South of the
Caspian Sea stands the Elburz Mountains, the highest peak of which is Mount Damavand (or Demavand),
about 60 miles northeast of modern Tehran. 131

As it can be seen, agriculture flourished in the plains, valleys, and mountainous regions of the land,
which received good rainfall and a decent supply of water. This allowed the production of vegetables,
fruits, and grains, among other agricultural products. The remainder of the Persian homeland recorded
very little rainfall, having harsh desert conditions. However, Persia possessed rich mineral deposits. Its
quarries provided marble, and its mountain slopes yielded building woods. The Persians exploited gold,
iron, copper, tin, and lead mines which earlier attracted the attention of superpowers.

Important cities of Persia

Archeological discoveries show that Persia had four major cities. Built under different circumstances for
varying motivations and purposes, the cities served the king differently.

Pasargadae: Cyrus the Great chose Pasargadae (about fifty miles north of Persepolis) as his capital in
550 BCE. There most of the buildings date from 546 to 530 BCE. In later years it served as a religious
center where they crowned Persian kings. The site today consists of four areas: at the north, a sacred
precinct; south of that, the citadel; farther south, the palace area; and southwest of the palace, the
tomb of Cyrus. 132 It appears that this city was founded on the site of Cyrus’ victory over Astyages. Some
features discovered in the sacred chambers of the citadel lead scholars to believe Pasargadae may have
contained altars to Ahuramazda and Anahita (to be discussed under the subsection ‘Religion’). A terrace
constructed on the same hill of this citadel consisted of well-formed limestone blocks fitted together
with metal clamps. Though with obscure evidence, this leads many to believe the citadel was one of
Persia’s treasuries.

Ecbatana (Achmetha): The modern city of Hamadan occupies the site of ancient Ecbatana, about 180
miles southwest of Tehran, high in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. This former Median capital
often served as the summer residence of the Persian kings. The palace there was built of cedar and

131 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
324). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
132 Ibid, p. 331

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