To judge ancient civilizations, it is necessary to know the framework of this historical period of human life on the Planet. And also what the previous generations have prepared for this transition. The framework of the Ancient World opens from the prehistoric period (primitive communal system) to the beginning of the Middle Ages in Europe. In India and China, they were different.
So, Europe (Greek and Roman history) in classical antiquity or antiquity. It began in 776 BC (another version is based on the founding of Rome in 753). The end of antiquity is the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD), by other measures - from the emergence of the religion of Islam (622), or the beginning of the reign of Charlemagne (742 or 748). At least, on his behalf, the word "king" has gone to walk around the world - from the Latin Carolus.
Prehistoric times were not fruitless in the geopolitical sense, the improvement of tools. The process developed strongly in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Recall that the Persian empire was "forged" by the Iron Age. Below we present it, as well as the most ancient civilizations in the world (list). But first, let's get acquainted with the concept of "empire".
Ancient civilizations. VI-IV centuries BC
What is an empire?
Any public education is built according to a certain model, which must meet a number of important points. The presence of the title (title) people or nation, the boundaries of the territory, the main governing bodies of all life, structures capable of reliably protecting the people.
A country may have an emperor in power, but this does not make it an empire. A state, even a very large one, differs from an empire. The empire should be multinational and unite many cultures, the advantages of a separate part for application throughout the empire, even if they are at different stages of human development.
Promotional video:
Yes, empires are also negative. But history shows that it is precisely such supranational formations that give a giant impetus to progress. Even in the Middle Ages. In such cases, all the achievements of the mind of many peoples of the empire are multiplied, and they are "a cut" higher than in those countries that are limited by their territory.
Persia: the oldest civilized empire
And in the 21st century, Persia is synonymous with the state of Iran. In general, the word "Iran" is the modern name for Ariana, the country of the Aryans. This was the second name of the Persians. In the six hundredth years BC, few people knew about the Persian tribes. Even where they were - in the Middle East, and where they thoroughly created their ethnic home. At the same time, the most ancient civilizations of the world remained a mystery for historiographers of all times, the list of which is as follows:
Ancient Persia Map
Civilizations of Mesoamerica: Maya, Aztecs;
Civilizations of South America: Chivnu, Nazca, Incas;
Cretan-Mycenaean (Minoan);
Ancient India;
Ancient Phenicia;
Ancient China;
Celtic, Scythian;
Ancient Assyria;
Babylonian kingdom;
Hittite;
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
But back to the story about Persia. Sources characterized the Aryans as almost gigantic people, with great physical strength and endurance. After all, they constantly had to fight both with the wild climate and with the wild peoples who did not give rest. This forced the Persians to constantly migrate along the mountain and steppe ranges.
Persipolis is the capital of Ancient Persia. Open-air museum
But as soon as they rallied as a people, left the nomad and began to create a state, those qualities that prevailed throughout the Middle Ages throughout the civilized world awoke in them. Luxury in clothes, jewelry in jewelry, food from overseas nobility in the literal sense of the word. Fish were brought from distant seas, fruits from the territories of present-day Syria and Iraq.
Polygamy was developed and even marriage with close relatives, with concubines, as was the case in Ancient Egypt.
Soon, the Persians, who rose from their knees, embarked on the path of conquest. This was the beginning of the creation of the Persian Empire - one of the oldest unstable state formations. The first to be seized were the territories from Araks to Elbrus, the mussel peoples who lived there submitted to a hostile onslaught. They were followed by campaigns and the addition of new lands. The Persian king Cyrus II was able to create a powerful army at that time and prepared it for the seizure of Babylonian territory.
Even before this campaign in the Middle East, everyone saw a new military force, which had claims to be called changing the geopolitical structure of this already troubled region.
Palace in Persipolis
In order to repel the Persians, the quarrelsome Babylonians and Egyptians reconciled. They understood all the emerging danger for both countries. Babylonia and Egypt began to prepare to repel the aggression of their nearest neighbor. But this did not help: Babylon was quickly captured. Cyrus went further to the Asian steppes, where he died.
His two successors, Cambyses and Darius, continued their work. They joined Egypt, which became the military-administrative province of the Persians (satrapy). Most likely, following the example of the Persians in both the Roman and Ottoman empires, such captured territories became vassal provinces.
The Persian monopoly extended thousands of kilometers from west to east. Almost the entire world of civilization by the 4th century BC was under her leadership. According to modern names, these were the Middle East, all post-Soviet Asian states, the Balkan countries, and part of the Caucasus. Only Russia did not reach the hands of the Persians. Their mighty empire was broken by Alexander the Great (Iskandar). Once the Persians captured and burned Greek Athens, now the commander took revenge on the Iranians for this: Persepolis burned them.
Persian gold coin
Cultural heritage of the empire
The Iranians benefited from the capture of Babylonia by adopting the achievements of the Mesopotamian civilization. Craftsmen quickly mastered the methods of processing bronze and making various items from it for the army and everyday life. Archaeologists have unearthed ancient cities, studied artifacts and appreciated the contents.
The conquest of Persia by the Greco-Romans was a disaster for her. The empire was accustomed to rule, not to worship. The cities built by the conquerors became alien to the Persians both in architecture and religion. But even after the expulsion of the Greeks by the Parthians, Greek motives continued to operate. The construction was the same as it was under the Greeks. The coins were minted with Greek inscriptions. Local cultural traditions are forgotten.
Persepolis. Memo of Ancient Persia
As well as the commandment of the Iranian priest and prophet Zarathushtra: do not worship idols, but only the symbol of the deity - an inextinguishable flame. Later, Greek architecture was called here "the buildings of the Dragon".
The Greeks, having familiarized themselves with the rules of the administrative structure and government of the Persian empire, were amazed at their ability to foresee and make everything convenient. The organization was considered a high achievement of the Persian monarchy.
The empire was divided into provinces and satrapies. Everything was subject to the collection of taxes in the occupied territories. On the funds received, it existed. But at the same time, national and other peculiarities of the country were taken into account. The rule of local kings and the presence of special people were allowed, to whom entire cities were given for life management and possession. Local rules, measurement systems, languages, cultural principles continued to operate.
Persian warriors
Only the Sassanid dynasty tried to revive the lost. But it turned out the opposite. It was all theological through and through, and everything good from the Greeks was destroyed. The broken Athenian sculptures are replaced by fire altars.
But there were also useful undertakings. Palaces and royal parks are being built. The Greeks called the parks "paradise" - paradise. Monumental architecture appears, ornaments that have become the forerunners of Muslim ornament. Iran and the adjacent imperial provinces were dotted with amazing roads for those times - in the mountains, in the valleys. They even paved it to Sinop (northern Turkey), which crossed the whole of Asia Minor. From the annexed Lydia, the Persians adopted the monetary circulation.
Oddly enough, but the capital of their empire, the Persians made the city of Ctesiphon, built by other tribes near the wilted Babylon (present-day Iraq).
Irrigation is being improved: many kilometers of water conduits are being laid underground from durable clay pipes (“caries”). After a dozen steps along this line, wells were equipped to clean the sludge from the water conduit. This raised the level of agriculture, the cultivation of cotton and sugar cane, fruits and berries began. Several types of fabrics were made, which were in demand outside the empire.
The second, Sassanian, empire lasted longer than the first, but on a reduced territory. And she also lost strength in the fight against the Romans and Byzantines. The attacking Arabs, spreading Islam, put an end to the empire.
The era of axial civilizations
It originates at the border of the second - first millennia BC. The circuit ended the collapse of one of the most powerful civilizations of the Middle Ages - the Roman Empire.
Or the era of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Pharaohs crossed the borders of their country and conquered the nearest tribal territories, individual cities and even deserts - Libyan. Nubia was an independent territory and supplied slaves to the north before joining Egypt. The conquerors included it in their normal economy. The Nubians, the inhabitants of Ethiopia, have joined the Egyptian culture.
Ancient Rome Map
Both Roman, Egyptian, and Byzantine civilizations at the beginning of their inception were located on a wide coastal strip from Gibraltar to the Yellow Sea and on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. Deep into their departure was not due to natural barriers. The most ancient civilizations of Crete and Mycenae, Egypt, Indus and Jun go (China) lay on the strip. There were all the conditions for the existence of future empires: ancient but stable logistics both along the coast and by sea, administrations, military formations. It was the treasury of all human achievement. Use them, then a state with everything necessary for its further civilization will arise and develop.
Empires, like states and people, followed the same path: birth, development and death. No empire has become immortal. They died from a number of significant factors. For example, the Roman Empire was threatened by the strong Ottomans by that time. Hundreds of historians have proven various reasons for the fall of this civilization: from barbarian tribes to the ruling elite, decaying in their preferences, destroying the generals. But she died … from mosquitoes. It was a powerful and terrible enemy of an empire that had never known defeat.
An itchy and unknown enemy
Only modern doctors, biologists, botanists, physiologists have revealed a terrible imperial secret with the help of DNA. The enemy is the malaria mosquito, which carries the deadly germs Plasmodium falciparum. But the mosquito itself is harmless without the bacillus, and the bacillus without the carrier will die. Only when the female mosquito gets drunk on the blood of a patient with malaria, then it becomes a carrier of the infection.
Ancient Rome
Paradox: the troops of both Roman empires were already collapsed from the tropical fever. And the Romans, who knew about the danger, did not know how to recover from it. The wetlands were multiplied by the "invaders" daily and hourly.
However, the mistake was that the inhabitants of the lowlands and the legions who stood there were infected with malaria from the swamp fumes in the heat. The disease was called "malaria", from Italian - "bad air." Mosquitoes spread the infection to the mountains. But the weak were dying. Julius Caesar, having recovered, acquired for himself a gene of some resistance.
In 1907, a British professor determined that the empire had perished because of malaria. He studied military statistics. The youth from the lowlands of the Apennines stopped going to the legions. Instead, they had to accept mercenaries from Germany. The professor suggested that the extremely fierce disease was brought from the African continent by Hannibal's army. Plausible skid of infection and merchant ships.
Malaria mosquito
Malaria kills 3 million people every year. This microbe develops in the tropics and more of its range in Africa. Archaeologists have unearthed a cemetery with fifty corpses of children.
They were buried for several days. It means an epidemic. Genetic analysis of the remains revealed DNA from Plasmodium Falciparum.
Through the drainage channels, the infection was transmitted inland, the defense was fading away. The mercenaries demanded payment. The empire is dead.
