With great leaders like Darius the Great and Xerxes the Great, the Persian Period was a time that evolved into a wave of prosperity that influenced many different countries. In this article, you will also learn a bit about the Hellenistic Period (from 332 to 63 BCE) and the Roman Period (from 63 BCE to 324 CE).
The Persian Period (from 539 to 332 BCE)
was comprised of many different Iranian empires that ruled the original homeland of the Persians , better known as the Iranian plateau. The reach of the Persian Empire would stretch across Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Caucasus.
From 728 BC to 559 BC, the first Persian Empire developed under the leadership of the Median Empire, which occurred after they won and ultimately put an end to the Assyrian Empire , with the Babylonians delivering a helping hand in the process.
From 550 to 330 BC, the Achaemenid Persian Empire grew to become the largest of its kind during the ancient world. With Darius the Great and Xerxes the Great leading the way, a great deal of rival battles took place , most famously with the classical Greek States. The Greco-Persian Wars still remain a well-known period in ancient history.
The Hellenistic Period (from 332 to 63 BCE)
was separated into two different time periods: Early Hellenistic (from 332 to 198) and Late Hellenistic (from 198 to 63). During this era, the conquests of Alexander the Great have already taken place. Throughout Europe and Asia, the Greeks lead the way in influencing the culture of those they come in contact with. They are enjoying quite a bit of power at this time.
This time period is one of transition with many historians dubbing the events as signifying a decline or time of great corruption. The greatness of the Greek Classical Era was constantly at odds with the emerging Roman Empire. Starting with the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Hellenistic period seems to taper off, with their final attempt at exercising their hand of power overcome by the Roman in 146 BC. During the Hellenistic Period, Greek colonization was on the rise, which helped to spread out the Greek culture to cities and kingdoms throughout Africa and Asia.
The Roman Period (from 63 BCE to 324 CE)
showed great changes in engineering and technology that catapulted the people of this era. At one point, the current options of the Roman Period could not satisfy or contain the boost in population or the urbanization that was taking place at the time. Societies were now portraying a capitalistic view of the world. Humans were becoming increasingly interested in exploring new ways to make money. They also dreamed up of ways on how to conquer other societies.
If there was one thing that could have been said about the Roman Period, it was that advancement was the name of the game. Sadly, the newly created technologies of this era also hurt the environment. As a result, more natural disasters took place. Politics and the economy were common topics of conversation. Notions of war were quick to brew.