Persis ΠερσίςPersís | |
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Region | |
 The Persian Empire, about 500 BC;Persis is the central southern province with the red outline. Its main cities arePersepolis andPasargadae. |
Persis (Ancient Greek:Περσίς,romanized:Persís;Old Persian:𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿,romanized:Parsa),[1] also calledPersia proper, is a historic region in southwesternIran, roughly corresponding withFars province. The Persian ethnic group are thought to have initially migrated either fromCentral Asia or, more probably, from the north through theCaucasus.[2] They would then have migrated to the current region of Persis in the early 1st millennium BC.[2]
The ancientPersians were present in the region of Persis from about the 10th century BC. They became the rulers of the largest empire the world had yet seen under theAchaemenid dynasty which was established in the late 6th century BC, at its peak stretching fromThrace-Macedonia,Bulgaria-Paeonia andEastern Europe proper in the west, to theIndus Valley in its far east.[5] The ruins ofPersepolis andPasargadae, two of the four capitals of theAchaemenid Empire, are located in Fars.
The Achaemenid Empire was defeated byAlexander the Great in 330 BC, incorporating most of their vast empire.
Several Hellenisticsatraps of Persis are known (following the conquests of Alexander the Great) from circa 330 BC, especiallyPhrasaortes, who ruled from 330 to 324 BC;Orxines, who usurped his position and was then executed by Alexander; and the Macedonian generalPeucestas, who learned the Persian language and followed local customs, implementing apersophile policy.[6][7][8] Peucestas retained the satrapy of Persis until theBattle of Gabiene (316 BC), after which he was removed from his position byAntigonus.[8] A short period of Antigonid rule followed, untilSeleucus took possession of the region in 312 BC.[7]
_I._3rd_century_BC.jpg)
When theSeleucid Empire was established, it possibly never extended its power beyond the main trade routes in Fars, and by the reign ofAntiochus I or possibly later, Persis emerged as a state with a level of independence that minted its own coins.[10]
Several later Persian rulers, forming theFrataraka dynasty, are known to have acted as representatives of theSeleucids in the region ofFārs.[11] They ruled from the end of the 3rd century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century BC, andVahbarz orVādfradād I obtained independence circa 150 BC, when Seleucid power waned in the areas of southwestern Persia and the Persian Gulf region.[8]
_I._2nd_century_BC.jpg)
During an apparent transitional period, corresponding to the reigns of Vādfradād II and another uncertain king, no titles of authority appeared on the reverse of their coins. The earlier titleprtrk' zy alhaya (Frataraka) had disappeared. UnderDārēv I however, the new title ofmlk, or king, appeared, sometimes with the mention ofprs (Persis), suggesting that the kings of Persis had become independent rulers.[12]
When theParthianArsacid kingMithridates I (ca. 171–138 BC) took control of Persis, he left the Persian dynasts in office, known as theKings of Persis, and they were allowed to continue minting coins with the title ofmlk ("King").[11][13]
Babak was the ruler of a small town called Kheir. Babak's efforts in gaining local power at the time escaped the attention ofArtabanus IV, theArsacid Emperor of the time. Babak and his eldest son Shapur managed to expand their power over all of Persis.
The subsequent events are unclear, due to the sketchy nature of the sources. It is however certain that following the death of Babak around 220,Ardashir who at the time was the governor of Darabgird, got involved in a power struggle of his own with his elder brotherShapur. The sources tell us that in 222, Shapur was killed when the roof of a building collapsed on him.
Ardaxšir (Artaxerxes) V, defeated the last legitimate Parthian king,Artabanos V in AD 224, and was crowned atCtesiphon asArdaxšir I (Ardashir I),šāhanšāh ī Ērān, becoming the first king of the newSasanian Empire.[12]
At this point, Ardashir moved his capital further to the south of Persis and founded a capital at Ardashir-Khwarrah (formerly Gur, modern dayFirouzabad).[14]After establishing his rule over Persis,Ardashir I rapidly extended the territory of hisSassanid Persian Empire, demanding fealty from the local princes of Fars, and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.
Artabanus marched a second time against Ardashir I in 224. Their armies clashed atHormizdegan, whereArtabanus IV was killed. Ardashir was crowned in 226 atCtesiphon as the sole ruler of Persia, bringing the 400-year-oldParthian Empire to an end, and starting the virtually equally long rule of theSassanian Empire, over an even larger territory, once again making Persia a leading power in the known world, only this time along with its arch-rival and successor to Persia's earlier opponents (theRoman Republic and theRoman Empire); theByzantine Empire.
The Sassanids ruled for 425 years, until the Muslim armies conquered the empire. Afterward, the Persians started to convert toIslam, this making it much easier for the new Muslim empire to continue the expansion of Islam.
Persis then passed hand to hand through numerous dynasties, leaving behind numerous historical and ancient monuments; each of which has its own values as a world heritage, reflecting the history of the province,Iran, andWest Asia. The ruins ofBishapur,Persepolis, andFirouzabad are all reminders of this. Arab invaders brought about a decline of Zoroastrian rule and made Islam ascendant from the 7th century.
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