I have some friends who are from Iran, and who identify firmly with Persian culture. I find this fascinating. And I knew a little, but wanted to learn more. My research seems to indicate that the ancient Persian culture is very worthy of emulation in today's World. I have found that some of the characteristics that make me so admire my friends, are actually traits that have been encouraged in Persian society and culture for possibly THREE THOUSAND years.
The Persian culture, for instance, very much pre-dates Islam and the current countries of Iran, Iraq, or Turkey. And the Persian Empire was at least as great as the Roman Empire in it's conquests, and it's ideas -- although many truly great ideas we attribute to to the Roman Empire, were learned from their conquest of Persia. My friends are truly proud of their Persian heritage, and I find this to be for good reason! Yet the true and ancient Persian culture is very tolerant of almost all religions, and is equally interested in cultures that differ from theirs.
For one thing, Zoroaster was in fact Persian. He not only united Persia, but gave us the basic principles of ALL modern, mono-deistic religions! He believed there was one God, who was the force of Good and the enemy of Evil. Zoroaster also believed that in order to go to paradise and escape a fiery afterlife of suffering, people needed to practice good thoughts, words, and deeds toward their fellow man.
The area known as Persia is also home to some of the most ancient of permanent settlements in the World, older than Alexandria in Egypt, and rivaling the oldest known settlements in Turkey. In fact, Persia was so advanced in their agriculture, building, and culture that the Bronze Age came to Persia 300 years before it made it to Egypt, and more than 1000 years before it reached Europe!
Not only that, but the Roman Empire was modeled after Persian forms of government. While Moses may have freed the Jews from Egypt, it was Cyrus the Great who freed them from Babylonia. He helped them to re-establish their temple in their home land and to govern themselves again, being one of the earliest practitioners of tolerance and self-governance on record. In fact, although we study the Pax Romana as the beginning of modern-day rule of law, the idea was that of Cyrus the Great. Ancient tombs in Persia show women were regarded highly, and seals used for trade and communication were present in many of these tombs. Many of the women of the time of Cyrus had amassed their own wealth. Women of this time were also allowed to serve in the military, some receiving commendations of valor.
Following Cyrus's reign was Darius the Great, on whose tomb was written "By the favor of the great God I believe in justice and abhor inequity. It is not my desire that the weak man should have wrong done to him by the mighty." Talk about some forward thinkers here!!! Darius was also the one who created the first common coinage in the World, built the longest road of his time, and founded the first postal service. It was Darius's idea that, along the route, there should be stops for couriers to have fresh horses. He cut the time to travel his long road from three months to under two weeks with this innovation. From the time of Cyrus dates the Persian value of a good education. Ancient Persians studied art, music, mathematics, writing, law and geography in addition to standard religious or military pursuits of the day.
In all my reading I have found evidence of values I really admire in Ancient Persia. They were a tolerant people, and did not seem to argue the semantics of Religion. They believed in doing good deeds, and in self-governance. They believed in the rule of Law and in equity before the Law. And they were great innovators in all areas of ancient life, advancing farming, commerce, medicine, and art. They also they great respect for those of other cultures and beliefs.
I too would be proud of this sort of heritage. And if I had been brought up to respect these ancient values, I also might not agree 100% of the time with the current regime in Iran, which of course in more "modern" times has been changed by competing systems of beliefs and values. It must be a bit hard for people of Persian upbringing, to labor under the label of being "from Iran" in the Western World.
The Persian culture continues with my friends, who are not so much tolerant of, but exuberant about other cultures and religions. Being relatively new to the US, they wanted suggestions on how to best experience Christmas. They wanted to attend a Christmas service, and decorated their home for the holiday. They love food, art, and culture from all over the World -- we share recipes and ideas for my blog and for travel. They place a very high value on education and hard work, and believe that learning is a lifelong endeavor, as well as the way that we can all learn to understand one another and live peacefully. They have told me many of their sadness when considering all the religious strife the World has endured, when people are all (in their belief) basically the same, and worthy of respect in their differences. They all speak many languages, and endeavor to learn more. My friends have a love of family that is absolutely heart-warming, and I love when we trade stories about our parents, siblings, and cousins. They seem to want to visit every country, and truly connect with the peoples they meet.
I aspire some day to be an honorary Persian! Here are some highlights of my research, mostly things I never knew before, since my early education in Ancient History dwelt remarkably little on this fabulous civilization.
8000 BC Agriculture helps Persia to become one of the first true cultures ever known. Settlements along current Persian Gulf had permanent housing, trade networks, elaborate pottery, one of the oldest boats ever found.
3900 BC First known Persian city is built, Tepe Sialk.
3500 BC Bronze Age begins in Anatolia and Persia, 300 years before it reaches Egypt.
1800 BC Some areas in Persia codify women's rights -- a darn sight earlier than here in the rest of the World!
1500 - 800 BC People calling themselves Persians and Medes migrate from Asia. Also at this time was the Aryan invasion of both India and parts of modern-day Iran occurred -- providing a possible link between Hindu and Zoroastrian beliefs.
1000 BC Zoroaster's mono-deism, good thoughts, good words, good deeds. He advances most mono-deistic religious beliefs that endure to modern times. See the connection to the ideas of Buddhism and the works of Siddhartha Gautama?
559 - 530 BC Cyrus the Great builds first empire, frees Jews. Note that this is not the same as moses' time, which was about 800 years before. This, by the way, is the time Siddhartha Gautama lived. Perhaps this is where Zoroastrianism influences the birth of Buddhism.
522 - 486 BC Reign of Darius the Great, built common coinage and World's longest road. Built first postal service.
490 - 479 BC Persia influences greek city-state wars through superior diplomacy.
334 - 323 BC Alexander the Great conquers Persia. Even though it is a bloody battle, Alexander greatly appreciates Persia's government. Ever after, the Roman Empire's idea of Rule of Law is actually modeled after that in Persia, dating back to Cyrus 200 years earlier!
* assyria, seated in present-day iraq, 2000 BC to 600 BC
** babylon, seated in present-day iraq and part of turkey 2400 BC to 650 AD, much as part of persian empire
*** mesopotamia, also in present-day iraq, 2600 BC to 1800 BC
**** phoenicia, located in present-day syria, lebanon, palestine and parts of israel, 2000 BC to 539 BC, conquered by cyrus the great
***** egypt, still on the map to this day, was founded around 3150 BC
****** anatolia, located in present-day turkey, settlements dating back to 6800 BC and was ruled by assyrians, hittites, ionians (greece), and persians
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