Culture is the unique way of life, but how would you describe the culture of an empire that allows its citizens to keep their traditions and beliefs. Unlike many kings from different regions, the ones from Persia allowed their newly conquered citizens remarkable freedoms like keeping their individuality. Persia was a place filled with amounts of art, but each of its provinces was different from one to the next.
In the year 550 B.C., an event happened that made the world turn their heads toward Persia. Persia’s king Cyrus began his conquest of kingdoms. His rule eventually spanned from the Indus River to Anatolia, a total of two thousand miles. Cyrus and his armies conquered the entire Fertile Crescent and most of Anatolia in between 550 and 539 B.C. However, Cyrus’ most outstanding legacy was the way he governed his newly gained territories. He had strict rules against looting and burning when he marched into a new city. He believed on honoring the cities’ customs and religions. Many cultures were glad to be under Persian rule because they were allowed to be their selves. In Babylon for example, Cyrus ,thankful for a bloodless victory, went and offered prayers to Babylon’s chief god, Marduk. He also allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, Jerusalem, where they rebuilt their city and temple and where forever grateful to Cyrus, whom they considered one of God’s chosen few. Cyrus’ style of conquest was excellent for governing, but it made Persia lack a unified culture and art.
Although it contained an immense amount of pottery, jewelry, and architecture, there is no style of art that represents Persia as a whole. The many different regions had their personal style that showed the different cultures, which lived in the Persian Empire. The king’s powerful technique for conquering helped Persia gain and keep a lot of territory, but did not help it unify the many cultures into one. In other words, Persia’s way of life easily changed from region to region...