796
edits
Changes
no edit summary
[[File: Dariush_statue.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Statue of Darius I in the Iran National Museum, Tehran]]
Darius I (ruled 522-486 BC), often referred to as Darius “the Great,” is the best known of all the Achaemenid Persian kings for several reasons. To those familiar with Darius the Great today, he is known primary primarily for his military endeavors as the Persian king who started the Greco-Persian Wars (4999499-449 BC) by suppressing the Greek Ionian Revolt (499-449 BC). Darius I then ordered the invasion of mainland Greece, although that ended in the Persian defeat at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Darius I was the father of Xerxes I (reigned 486-465 BC), who was the Persian king who led the Persian army for the remainder of the Greco-Persian Wars, but more importantly Darius I is known for several other non-military endeavors that helped make the Achaemenid Empire the most powerful political entity of the period. He initiated several internal reforms that made the empire run more efficiently and was instrumental in the construction of an ancient Suez Canal that linked the Mediterranean and Red seas. Darius I was also the primary Persian king who commissioned the building of the capital city of Persepolis. An examination of the inscriptions that accompany many of his building activities reveals that Darius I was a pious man and an early follower of the religion that would become known as Zoroastrianism, but he was also quite tolerant and allowed other religions to flourish within his empire.
===The Achaemenid Empire===
[[File: AhuraMazda-Relief.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|Relief of the Persian-Zoroastrian God Ahura Mazda]]
It is important to understand the origins of Achaemenid Persian royal ideology because in the ancient Near East political ideology was intricately intertwined with religion. The king was appointed by the gods to carry out their wills and usually was considered the high priest of any particular dynasty’s primary god or goddess so therefore any understanding of what gods Darius I worshipped can only be understood within the realm of religion.
The Achaemenid Persians followed a religion that can best be described as an early form of Zoroastrianism, or proto-Zoroastrianism. <ref> Clark, Peter. <i> Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to an Ancient Faith.</i> Brighton, United Kingdom: Sussex Academic Press, 2001), pg. 56</ref> Zoroastrianism was a dualistic religion where many different gods were acknowledged, both good and evil, but the chief god, Ahuramazda, was the primary object of veneration. Besides being the source of all earthly good and purity, Ahuramazda was also associated with the sun and fire. Following in the dualistic aspects of Zoroastrianism, it was the duty of the Achaemenid kings to promote the truth or <i>asha</i> over the lie or <i>drugh</i>, which was the result of the evil god Angramianu’s influence in the world. <ref> Malandra, William W. <i>An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion: Readings from the Avesta and Ancient Achaemenid Inscriptions.</i> (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983), pg. 13</ref> Although Cyrus and the early Achaemenid kings worshipped Ahuramazda as their primary god, primary sources from the period show that they were willing to accept other gods.