Province Persis
Traveller's Log
Approaching from Karmania , the traveller enters the Persian homeland, a land of broad river basins and plateaus cradled by the Zargos, through a rift in the eastern mountains and first sets foot on arid lowlands locally called the garmsir, or “warm lands.” Sparse rain falls in the south and east and agriculture is only sustained by a complex web of irrigation ditches criss-crossing the country. Journeying further west, the traveller encounters Pasargad – the early capital of the Kings of Kings. Built at the command of Cyrus the Great, Pasargad still houses his tomb, though he fell in battle before the city's completion. Leaving Pasargad and continuing west, the traveller comes upon the jewel of the Persian empire: Parsapura, known to the Greeks as Persepolis. Despite burning to the ground during Alexander's campaigns, the city retains some of its former glory even today. As the largest and most central settlement in the region, Persepolis contains the administrative headquarters for Persis and remains a hub for trade between India and the West. Farther past Persepolis and nearer the salt lakes in the north lies Anshan, the ancient seat of Persian power and original home of Cyrus the Great. The Mand river separates Anshan from the other cities in the east and, should the traveller choose to follow it southward, winds to narrow coastal plains stretching between the southern mountains and the Persian Gulf. If the traveller had continued west from Anshan, they would climb onto the cooler, wetter highland plains called the sardsir, or “cold lands.” Although more rain falls, the hilly nature of the land precludes irrigation and farmers rely mainly on precipitation to water crops. At the western edge of the province, mountain passes lead to Elam and Babylonia or northward to Media.
Geography
The heart of Persis, roughly corresponding to the modern province of Fars, consists of river-drained plains sandwiched between two ridges of the Zagros mountains running east-west. Exceeding altitudes of 4000 metres in the north-west, the enclosing mountains gradually decrease in height toward the south-east but mostly remain above 2000 metres. Minor streams meander southward to the sea, the largest of which, the Mand, almost divides the province in half. In the north, however, several basins empty into lakes of high salt content. The north-western plains are hillier and, as a result, receive more rain than the flatter south-east. The wetter environment at higher altitudes permits temperate forests to grow – including oak, pomegranates and pistachio-almond trees. Date palms demarcate the line between the garmsir and sardsir while grapevines are cultivated at the warmer elevations in the sardsir. Drought-resistant acacias and jujube-trees dominate the warm lowlands. Between the southern ridge and the sea lie constricted coastal plains broken up by hills. Although relatively dry, the coast supports moderate farming and even forests at greater heights.
People, Society and Government
The extreme variation in climate prompted a variety of coping responses, most notably traditional nomadic pastoralism and settled agriculture introduced from Mesopotamia. The nomads rely on migrating seasonally between winter quarters in the garmsir and summer quarters in the sardsir to water and feed their herds. The quest for richer and more fertile grazing land often pits the roaming tribes against sedentary farmers, however, and the subsequent conflict sometimes erupts into civil war. Most of the time, though, the settled and nomadic elements are able to maintain a workable peace. Despite the major differences, the populace is linguistically homogeneous, all speaking the predecessor to modern Persian. Unlike so much else of the near east, archaeological evidence reveals very limited Greek influence in Persis. The absence of Greek infiltration can perhaps best be explained by the decentralised mode of government. Instead of appointing a Hellenophone satrap to rule Persis, the Seleucid Kingdom elevated local nobles to positions of power and largely followed a policy of benign neglect.
Regarding religion, the Persians followed a variety of different belief systems, the most important of which was Zoroastrianism. The religion's tenets encouraged ethical conduct and posited two opposing supernatural forces: Ahura Mazda – the creator and origin of all good in the world – and Angra Mainyu – the source of evil and destruction. Truth and Order were two of the most esteemed virtues, a fact reflected in Herodotus famous statement that, “from a young age, Persian boys are taught to ride well, shoot straight and always speak the truth.” Although monotheistic in theory, Zoroastrianism was frequently adapted to the older polytheistic deities.
History
The archaeological record of Persis begins in 5500 BC, when the first agrarian settlements were founded along rivers in the Kor basin. Contact with centres of civilisation to the west started early, sometime around 4000 BC, which resulted in the gradual growth of commerce. Until the late fourth millennium BC, however, most of the inhabitants still lived as nomadic herders. Near the close of the 4000s, strong cultural and linguistic influences from proto-Elamite society spread over much of western and central Iran. The first true urban centre developed at Anshan at the time. Sumerian domination of Elam, though, weakened ties between east and west, and the populace mainly reverted to pastoralism. When Elamite society flourished again during the late 2000s, the dynasts in Susa renewed links with Anshan, eventually adopting the official title “King of Susa and Anshan.” Agricultural settlements proliferated during the period – Anshan itself grew to more than 30,000 inhabitants and covered an area of about 150 hectares. The nebulous political relationship between Susa and Anshan notwithstanding, numerous written sources document the pivotal role Anshan played in the economy and military. A gap appears in the historical record between 2000 BC and 1400 BC, which correlated with a decline of the Elamite empire. The population in Anshan dropped by two thirds and the number of inhabited settlements evidently decreased. A minor resurgence in Elam around 1400 BC briefly rejuvenated urban trends but ended abruptly with the Assyrian capture and destruction of Susa and Anshan. For a few hundred years Elam, including Persis, vanishes from the historical record only to reappear as the feeble neo-Elamite kingdom of “Anzan and Susa.” Elam lost control of Persis for the final time when Assurbanipal invaded Susa in 646 BC.
Despite the lack of any clear indications for how Persis transformed from an Elamite kingdom into a Persian-speaking kingdom with a distinct culture, current theories suggest the gradual infiltration of small bands of Iranian pastoralists whom then mixed with the native populace and gradually gained dominance. Iranian peoples had already appeared in the north-west in 1600 BC and probably migrated southward during the time of Elamite impotence between 1100 and 1000 BC. The hypothesis is further supported by the paucity of evidence for urban settlement in the years preceding Cyrus the Great's rise to power, implicating a nomadic populace. Prevailing thought proposes that, after 646 BC, the newly-independent Anshan formed itself into a kingdom under a Persian dynasty to combat the Assyrian threat. The Persians proper first enter the historical record when Cyrus II the Great of the Achaemenids conquered Media and urban growth exploded. After capturing Ecbatana, the capital of the Medes, he transferred the looted treasure to Anshan. In a series of brilliant campaigns, Cyrus captured Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, modern-day Afghanistan and much of Central Asia. He died in battle against a Scythian tribe on the northern frontier. His son, Cambyses II, invaded and occupied Egypt and spent several years consolidating the western fringe of the empire. A rebellion in Persia forced him to return but he died en route. The next emperor, Darius I, overthrew the pretender which had seized power and reversed the rebel's policies. In rapid succession, though, revolt broke out in Elam, Babylonia, Armenia, Persia, Media, Assyria, Parthia, Margiana, Sattagydia, and Scythia. Elam and Babylon were shortly subdued but the other rebellions stretched Darius to the limits of his abilities as a general and politician. First concentrating efforts on the central provinces, he later crushed the revolts at the edges of the empire after the core was regained. Realising the need for reform, Darius re-organised the imperial administration once the rebellions had been pacified. Later, he embarked on several campaigns of conquest and gained control of the Indus valley, the Ionian islands and parts of Thrace and Scythia. The Ionian Greeks grew restive, however, and, with mainland Greek support, revolted. They were quickly subjugated, and Darius resolved to take revenge against pro-Ionian coalition. He gathered an invasion force and landed by boat near Athens. After the astonishing Athenian victory at Marathon, though, the Persians retired to Anatolia to lick their wounds. Darius intended to attack a second time but died before the plans materialised. His successor, Xerxes, attempted another invasion but was rebuffed after a series of inconclusive land battles and a crushing naval defeat. The Persians, however, burnt Athens to the ground before retreating.
Subsequent conflicts between the Greeks and Persians resulted in no considerable advance by either side, though the Persians intervened in the interminable wars between Greek city-states. Although the emperors established a firm hold on most of the empire, the days of expansion were over. Complacency lent itself to corruption, and by the closing stages of Achaemenid power, a string of inept and venal emperors hit bottom under Darius III.
In 334-330 BC, Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the entirety of the Persian empire and even encroached on India. To crown his victory, he burnt and pillaged the royal sectors of Persepolis, partly as revenge for the burning of Athens. Under Makedonian and later Seleucid rule, Persis was largely sidelined in international affairs, but retained most of its traditional aspects. Greek influence was marginal at best, and government fell to local aristocrats. The old glory was lost, though. Under the Achaemenids, Persis represented the cultural and political centre of the empire. Persians enjoyed numerous privileges, including freedom from tribute and execution by the king. Under the Seleucids, Persis was simply another province in a vast empire. When the Parthians invaded and conquered Persis, the situation hardly changed. Locals still governed and followed the practices and customs of their forebears, especially concerning religion. It wasn't until the rise of the Sassinians – a dynasty native to Persis – that the region regained the former prestige.
Strategy
Persis rests in the middle of a protective ring of mountains. Any potential enemy could be stopped at one of the mountain passes, which form natural choke points. Trade from India to the West still flows through Persis, and some of it remains to enrich the province. Moderately productive farming, combined with valuable natural resources like lumber, provide a strong base to economic development and empire building. But beware, any ruler that can't maintain the delicate balance of power between the nomads and city-dwellers risks losing control of the province.
Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team
Originally Posted by Rex Somnorum
-Silentium... mandata captate; non vos turbatis; ordinem servate; bando sequute; memo demittat bandum et inimicos seque;
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