1a+-+Persians

The Persian Civilization  
 * also called the Achaemenid Empire
 * made up of groups of Indo-European tribes
 * stretched from North Africa to India and from the Aral Sea to the Persian Gulf
 * religion was Zoroastrianism which means they were controlled by two gods
 * the gods were: Ahura-Mazda-creating god who is full of light and good, and Ahriman- god of dark and evil
 * Cyrus the Great founded this empire by conquering the Median kingdom in about 550 BC
 * Darius I was the greatest Persian ruler who divided the empire into provinces headed by satraps
 * In 490 BC, the Persians launched an expedition against Athens
 * worshiped the Arabian goddess Urania
 * birthdays were the most popular celebrations
 * the rich had large animals: ox, camel, horse, etc. for their meals
 * the poor had small cattle for their meals
 * lasted for about 200 years

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