The Persians apparently sprang from a people from the hills of Russia who began to settle in upper Mesopotamia
and along the Black Sea as early as 2000 B.C. Ancient Media was located in what is now northwestern Iran, west of the Caspian
Sea. Cyrus the Great, first ruler of the Persian Empire, united the Medes and Persians to conquer Babylonia and Assyria, thus
becoming the dominant power of the ancient world.
After his conquest of Babylonia about 539 B.C., Cyrus authorized the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem
and the resettlement of the Jewish community in their homeland (2 Chr. 36:22 & 23). Many of
the Israelites had been carried to Babylonia as captives after the fall of Jerusalem about 586 B.C.
(2 Chr. 36: 17-21).
Of all the ancient peoples who lived in the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the
Medes and Persians probably had the greatest influence on the Israelites. The prophet Isaiah wrote that Cyrus, although he
did not know God, was annointed by God for the special mission of returning God's people to Jerusalem
(Is. 45:1,4).
Daniel 6:8 & 9 refers to "the law of the Medes and Persians." Once
a Persian law was handed down by the king, it could not be changed or revoked. While he was a captive in the royal court of
the Babylonians, Daniel predicted that Babylonia would fall to the Medes and Persians (Dan. 5).
The Book of Esther records events that occurred during the reign of King Ahasuerus, or Xerxes, of
Persia in the fifth century B.C. By faithfully recording the manners and customs of the Persian Empire, the book serves as
a reliable historical record of the period.
Among the nations of the ancient world, Persia is noted for its beautiful cities. Persepolis, the
nation's ceremonial capital, was a showplace of Persian culture. Ecbatana, capital of the Median Empire, became a resort city
for the Persians. Susa, called Shushan in the book of Esther, was the capital of the Elamites before it became the administrative
capital of the Persian Empire.
