OCR Ancient History GCSE Component 1 by Bloomsbury Publishing

N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N OCR Ancient History gcse

COMPONENT 1

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N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements | iv

Introduction | vii

How to Use this Book | viii

PART 1

PERIOD STUDY: THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, 559–465

Introduction to the Persian Empire, 559–465 BC | 2

| 1

1.1 The Rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, 559–530 bc | 5

1.2 Cambyses II, Smerdis and the Accession of Darius, 530–522 bc | 21

1.3 The Reign of Darius the Great, 522–486

1.4 Xerxes I and the Greeks, 486–465

| 33

| 50

What to Expect in the Exam: Greece and Persia Section A | 66

PART 2

DEPTH STUDIES | 75

Introduction to the Depth Study Options | 76

DEPTH STUDY 1: FROM TYRANNY TO DEMOCRACY, 546–483

2.2 Tyranny and Samos | 97

2.3 The Emergence of Democracy in Athens | 115

2.4 Democracy in Action | 128

2.1 Athens under the Tyrants | 80

What to Expect in the Exam: Greece and Persia Section B | 149

DEPTH STUDY 2: ATHENS IN THE AGE OF PERICLES, 462–429

| 77

Introduction to From Tyranny to Democracy, 546–483 bc | 78

| 159

Introduction to Athens in the Age of Pericles, 462–429 bc | 160

3.1 The Workings of Athenian Democracy | 161

3.2 The Relationship between Athens and Sparta and Pericles’ Foreign Policy | 178

3.3 Pericles and the Cultural and Religious Life in Athens | 194

3.4 Women in Athens | 211

What to Expect in the Exam: Greece and Persia Section C | 228

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Contents

DEPTH STUDY 3: ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 356–323

| 237

Introduction to Alexander the Great, 356–323 BC | 238

4.1 Upbringing, Character, Beliefs and Life of Alexander | 239

4.2 Alexander’s Campaigns: The Reasons for his Expeditions and the

N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

Main Battles | 257

4.3 Significant Events in Alexander’s Life | 269

4.4 The Macedonian Army under Alexander | 280

What to Expect in the Exam: Greece and Persia Section D | 292

Glossary | 300 Sources of Quotations | 303 Sources of Illustrations | 308 Index | 310

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N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

1.1 The Rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, 559–530 bc TIMELINE OVERVIEW

l l l l l l

The background and accession of Cyrus The conquest of Lydia The conquest of Babylon Cyrus’ attitude towards conquered peoples and his liberation of the Jews The construction of Pasargadae The circumstances of Cyrus’ death.

There are no prescribed sources for this component, but the following suggested readings and artefacts are covered in this chapter: l l l l l l

Herodotus Histories 1.25–59; 69–216 Xenophanes, Fragment DK21 B22 Cyrus Cylinder (CB) Nabonidus Chronicle Old Testament: Isaiah 45, Ezra 6, 2 Chronicles 36 The archaeological site of Pasargadae.

This chapter will examine the life of Cyrus the Great, and his reign as king of Persia. It will focus on the legends surrounding his upbringing, and then look at his famous conquests, especially of the Medes, the Lydians and the Babylonians. EXAM TIP: SECOND-O RDER CONCEPTS

Question 4 of the exam paper asks you to understand second-order concepts. These are concepts which historians use as ways of analysing the past. For example, one second-order concept is ‘cause’, whereby historians try to analyse what caused a set of events to happen in the way that they did. As you read this chapter make sure you that you bear in mind the following second-order concepts: continuity, change, cause, consequence, significance, similarity and difference.

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Part One Period Study

KEY PLACES

The Persian Empire grew up in a part of the world which is sometimes referred to as the Near East. This name of course reflects a European perspective, since it describes lands immediately to the east of Europe (the region is sometimes alternatively referred to as West Asia). In ancient times, the Near East was home to some of the world’s first civilisations, including the Egyptians and the Sumerians, which date back to the 5th millennium BC. The Near East can itself be divided into regions as follows (you should consult Fig 1.1 on p. 000 to help you locate these places):

N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

Near East The vast area of lands from the Mediterranean to the Zagros Mountains, including Egypt to the south-west.

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

Asia Minor (Anatolia) A region roughly equivalent to modern Turkey.

The Levant A region incorporating a number of independent peoples on the eastern Mediterranean coast, from southern Turkey to north-eastern Egypt.

Egypt An ancient civilisation which had long been powerful due to the fertility of its land.

Mesopotamia A fertile region corresponding to modern Iraq, between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Zagros Mountains A range of mountains running from northern Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf.

Persia A small kingdom to the east of Mesopotamia. Anshan The capital of Persia.

Elam An older kingdom absorbed by the Persians.

Susa The capital of Elam.

Central Asia The lands to the north and east of the Zagros Mountains.

KEY PEOPLE

The Jews A people from the Levant whose capital was Jerusalem.

The Phoenicians A people who lived in the Levant on the Mediterranean coast.

Asia Minor (also known as Anatolia), an area which roughly corresponds to the western two-thirds of modern Turkey l The Levant, a term describing the lands on the eastern Mediterranean coast, from southern Turkey to north-eastern Egypt. Two significant peoples in this region were the Jews, a people inhabiting a hill kingdom with its capital at Jerusalem, and the Phoenicians, a sea-faring people based on the Mediterranean coast. l Egypt, a region which owed its power and success to its location in the fertile Nile Valley. l Mesopotamia, a region roughly corresponding to modern Iraq. It is a Greek name which means ‘between the rivers’, and this fertile region was located between the Euphrates to the west and the Tigris to the east. l

To the east of the Tigris river lay the Zagros Mountains, a range nearly 1,000 miles long which runs from the north of Mesopotamia south-east to the Persian Gulf. At the south-western end of the mountain range was the small kingdom of Persia, with its capital at Anshan. This kingdom grew up during the middle of the 7th century BC, at which time it took over an older kingdom to the north, Elam, the capital of which was Susa. The Persians seem to have absorbed a good deal of Elamite culture and adminis trative skill, as well as the Elamite language. Cyrus became king of Persia in 559 bc . By the time that he died in 530, he had conquered all of the Near East apart from Egypt (which his son Cambyses would go on to conquer – see p. 000), as well as a vast expanse of lands to the east of the Zagros Mountains, in a region now known as Central Asia. To understand how he did this, we must first examine the regional powers at play in the Near East in the 6th century BC. By 600 bc , there were a number of regional powers in the Near East. To the west, the two most important were the Egyptians, whose civilisation was flourishing at this time, and the Lydians, who ruled the western half of Asia Minor from their capital Sardis. Further east, until the end of the 7th century, one people had been dominant. They were the Assyrians, who were based in northern Mesopotamia and had ruled as far as the Levant for three centuries. However, they were overthrown in 612 by two other peoples who now became the dominant powers in the region: the Babylonians and the Medes. Babylonian civilisation was very old and was centred on the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia. For centuries, the Babylonians had been ruled by other peoples, but by 600 they had established a powerful empire in Mesopotamia and the Levant. This is

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1.1 The Rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, 559–530 bc

N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

FIGURE 1.2 This glazed brick depiction of a Lion was set up in Babylon in the early 6th century BC. The Lion represented the King of Babylon. Later Persian art was heavily influenced by this style.

KEY PEOPLE

Lydians A people who ruled the western half of Asia Minor.

sometimes known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire, to distinguish it from the Babylonian Empire which had flourished centuries earlier (the prefix ‘neo’ means ‘new’). The Medes were based in the Zagros Mountains and were pastoral mountain people famous for their skill with horses. It is unclear whether there was one unified Median empire, or whether the Medes were a collection of mountain tribes which worked together against common enemies. Their largest city was Ecbatana, located on the eastern side of the mountain range. It is likely that they had influence on some peoples to the west of the Zagros range, including the kingdom of Persia. Indeed, the Medes and the Persians were ethnically related peoples who had probably originally migrated from Central Asia.

Assyrians A people of northern Mesopotamia who held power over a much wider region until the end of the 7th century. Babylonians An ancient people from the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia.

Medes A group of peoples based in the Zagros Mountains.

KEY PLACES

The sources

When we embark on studying any period of history, we have to ask ourselves two ques tions. The first is ‘what sources do we have for this period of history?’ and the second is ‘how reliable are these sources?’ As these questions suggest, we are often hampered by two problems when studying the ancient past. The first is that we simply do not have enough evidence, since written records have been lost or were never in existence in the first place. The second is that all historians and writers have their own perspectives and agendas. Studying Ancient History can therefore sometimes be like doing a jigsaw puzzle where you don’t have all the pieces, and where you are not sure that some of the pieces that you do have are accurately drawn. The sources for the rise of the Persian Empire in the 6th century are rather like this jigsaw puzzle. Many of our writings on the Persian Empire are by Greeks, who were the first people to develop narrative history. The most famous such Greek writer was Herodotus. His work, which today is known as the Histories, was probably written and published in the 430s and 420s. In it he wrote a history of the events of the wars between the Greeks and the Persians which lasted between 499 and 479. Herodotus traced the causes of the war back to the time when Cyrus first became king of Persia in 559 bc. He therefore gives a lot of information about the life and reigns of Cyrus, as well as of his successors.

Sardis The capital of Lydia.

Neo-Babylonian Empire The empire ruled by the Babylonians from the end of the 7th century, which encompassed much of Mesopotamia and the Levant. Ecbatana The largest city of the Medes.

KEY INDIVIDUAL

Herodotus Dates: c. 484–c. 425

A Greek historian who wrote about the causes and course of the wars between the Greeks and the Persians from 499 to 479.

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N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

1.2 Cambyses II, Smerdis and the Accession of Darius, 530–522 bc TIMELINE OVERVIEW

Cambyses’ conquest of Egypt Cambyses’ attitude towards the Egyptians and their culture l The circumstances of Cambyses’ death l Darius’ overthrow of Smerdis/Bardiya/Gaumata. l

There are no prescribed sources for this component, but the following suggested readings and artefacts are covered in this chapter: l

Herodotus, Histories 2.1; 3.1–38; 3.61–88; 5.25 Bisitun Inscription (DB) 10–15; 68–69 l The account of Udjahorresne l Epitaph to the Apis Bull, November 524. l

This chapter will examine the reign of Cambyses II, king of Persia between 530 and 522 bc , and in particular his conquest of Egypt. It will then focus on the events surrounding his death and succession, which culminated in the accession of Darius I to the throne.

CAMBYSES IN THE SOURCES

KEY INDIVIDUAL

Cambyses II Dates: reigned from 530 to 522 Son of Cyrus and king of Persia.

It is almost impossible to form an objective view about the character of Cambyses II as king. The Greek sources, most notably Herodotus, paint him very negatively as a cruel king who went mad and insulted the gods. As we shall see, Herodotus was no doubt working from heavily biased Egyptian sources and his portrayal cannot be taken at face value. Indeed, it seems that ancient writers liked to contrast Cyrus as the ideal ‘good ruler’ with Cambyses as the typical ‘cruel tyrant’. Moreover, we know very little of the empire during Cambyses’ reign apart from what we are told about the conquest of Egypt. It is therefore very hard to form any opinion as to his qualities as a ruler.

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N C PA O R G R N ES E O C T FO TE FO D R R S R D A E IS M V TR IE PL W E IB U TI O N

1.3 The Reign of Darius the Great, 522–486 bc TIMELINE OVERVIEW

l l l l l l l l l l l

Darius’ pacification of the empire, including the restoration of control over Babylon Construction of Susa, Persepolis and the Egyptian canal Persian expansion into the Aegean Sea The campaign in India The war with the Scythians Persian culture and religion under Darius Darius’ organisation and administration of the Persian Empire The Ionian Revolt, including its causes, course and consequences Persian relations with Athens prior to the revolt Mardonius’ expedition of 493–492 bc The expedition to Greece in 490 bc and its aftermath.

There are no prescribed sources for this component, but the following suggested readings and artefacts are covered in this chapter: l

Herodotus, Histories 3.89–160; 4.1–4; 4.46–98; 4.120–144; 5.1–39; 5.97–126; 6.1–49; 6.94–7.3 Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions of Darius, including the Bisitun Inscription l Datiya Fortification Tablet (PF 1809Q) l The archaeological site of Susa l The archaeological site of Persepolis, in particular the apadana staircase.

This chapter will examine the rule of Darius I, also known as Darius the Great, between 522 and 486 bc , focusing initially on the challenges he faced when he came to power. It will then look at the way in which he imposed a new order and identity on the Persian Empire, in both political and religious terms. The other aspect of this topic will be an examination of the nature of the expansion of the empire during his reign.

THE REVOLTS AGAINST DARIUS

In the aftermath of Darius’ accession to the throne in 522, the empire was struck by a series of revolts. These are mentioned in detail by Darius in the Bisitun Inscription, and 33

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1.4 Xerxes I and the Greeks, 486–465 bc TIMELINE OVERVIEW

l l l l l l

Death of Darius and accession of Xerxes The suppression of revolts in Babylonia and Egypt The invasion of Greece, including Persian preparation, the journey to Greece, the battle of Thermopylae, the sack of Athens, the battle of Salamis Persian military organisation and fighting techniques The completion of Darius’ building projects The Battle of Eurymedon and Plutarch’s ‘famous peace’.

There are no prescribed sources for this component, but the following suggested readings and artefacts are covered in this chapter: l

Herodotus, Histories 7.2–9.121 Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.96–100 l Plutarch, Life of Kimon, 12–13 l Aeschylus, Persians l Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions of Xerxes. l

KEY INDIVIDUAL

Xerxes I Dates: reigned from 486 to 465 King of Persia.

This chapter will examine the rule of Xerxes I between 486 and 465 bc . It will focus first on how he established himself in power and suppressed two revolts in the empire, and then move on to look at his wars with the Greeks: the great invasion of 480–479 and then the decisive battle of Eurymedon in the early 460s. The Persian army will also be examined, as will the varied way that Xerxes is presented in the sources.

Xerxes in the Sources

In contrast to the reign of Darius, the non-Greek sources available for the reign of Xerxes are much diminished. However, there are still a number of royal inscriptions similar to those which Darius commissioned. In these, Xerxes presents himself firmly as continu ing his father’s legacy. One key theme which emerges is that Xerxes promotes the fact that he has completed Darius’ building projects, as well as instituting new ones of his own. For example, at Persepolis he commissioned the construction of a new ceremonial

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