Analyze the Persian Empire (Achaemenid Dynasty 550-330 BCE — Cyrus + Darius + Xerxes) on its own terms (per Touraj Daryaee), the Persian Wars (490 BCE Marathon + 480 BCE Thermopylae/Salamis/Plataea) taught with BOTH Greek AND Persian sources (Herodotus + Cyrus Cylinder + Behistun Inscription), the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE Athens-Sparta), and Alexander the Great's conquests (336-323 BCE)
Exercise
Difficulty 3
~5 min
hist.g6.f.ex_24
Short Response
Prompt
Who founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire and when? How large was it at peak under Darius I? Why are modern Iranian voices and scholarship important for understanding ancient Persia?
How it's presented
mode
text
Answer criteria
type
rubric scored writing
rubric
3 stars: Cyrus the Great founded c. 550 BCE + ~5.5 million sq km at peak (largest ancient empire) + modern Iranians as living descendants + Touraj Daryaee mentioned or implied. 2 stars: 3 of 4. 1 star: 2. 0: <2.
Hints
- Cyrus the Great founded the empire c. 550 BCE.
- Touraj Daryaee Oxford Handbook of Iranian History 2012.
Misconceptions to watch
- Treating Persia as Herodotus's barbarian Other
- Forgetting modern Iranians as living descendants
Used in lessons