Persian Empire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persian Empire - Research Paper Example The formation of the Persian Empire began in 550 B.C., when King Stages of Media, who subjugated much of Iran and eastern Anatolia (Turkey), was crushed by his southern neighbor Cyrus II ("the Great"), king of Persia (559–530B.C.). This upset the stability of power in the Near East. The Lydians of western Anatolia under King Croesus took advantage of the fall of Media to push east, and clashed with Persian forces. The Lydian army withdrew for the winter but the Persians marched on to the Lydian capital at Sardis, which fell after a two-week siege. The Lydians had been allied with the Babylonians and Egyptians, and Cyrus now had to meet these major powers head-on. The Babylonian empire controlled Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean. In 539 B.C., Persian forces defeated the Babylonian army at the site of Opis, east of the Tigris. King Cyrus entered Babylon and presented himself as a customary Mesopotamian monarch, restoring temples and releasing political prisoners. The on e western power that remained unconquered in Cyrus' brilliant campaigns was Egypt. It was left to his son Cambyses to beat the Egyptian forces in the eastern Nile Delta in 525B.C. After a ten-day siege, Egypt's ancient capital Memphis fell to the Persians.2 A crisis at the court forced Cambyses to go back to Persia but he died on the way and Darius I emerged as king. During his reign and the reign of his successors, the empire was stabilized, roads for communication were built, a system of satraps (governors) was established, major building projects, such as royal buildings at Susa and a new dynastic center of Persepolis, were begun, more lands were gained.3 And for the next two and a half centuries, the Persians enjoyed a fairly peaceful period of history, disturbed only by the occasional revolts of the Aegeans. The Organization and Governance of the Empire Though built upon the Assyrian structure, the Persian administrative system was far more competent and civilized. The empire w as divided into twenty provinces, or satrapies, each ruled by a governor called a satrap. To check the satraps, a secretary and military officials on behalf of the "Great King, King of Kings" were installed in every province. Also, special inspectors, "the Eyes and Ears of the King,"4 traveled all over the realm. Imperial post roads connected the important cities. Along the Royal Road between Sardis and Susa there was a post station every fourteen miles, where king's couriers could obtain rested horses, enabling them to cover the 1600-mile route in a week. "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these Persian messengers," wrote Herodotus. "These men will not be hindered..., either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night." 5   The Persian Empire was the first to endeavor to govern many different ethnic groups on the principle of equal responsibilities and rights for all peoples. So long as subjects paid their taxes and kept the peace, the king did not interfere with local religion, customs, or trade. Darius I revolutionized the world economy by placing it on a silver and gold coinage system also introducing a controlled and sustainable  tax  system that was accurately designed for each satrapy, based on their hypothetical productivity and their economic potential. Due to the vast geographical size, ethnic and cultural diversity of the subjected peoples, constant struggle for power on a regional scale, such as revolts led by the Greeks and the Egyptians, the creation of a large,

Exploring the Use of Outdoor Play to Support Children's Development in Essay

Exploring the Use of Outdoor Play to Support Children's Development in a Nursery in East London - Essay Example Bruce (1998) suggests that Outdoor Play allows a child to exercise what he has learnt and apply his teachings practically and develop not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well alongside employing the practice of making his own decisions. These are characteristics that are vital to his growth into adulthood. Children do not individualize the various academic subjects as effectively in their early years from birth to eight and tend to learn best when allowed to integrate all aspects of learning into one. Eden (2008) likens play to an experience of pleasure (p. 50) which allows a child to develop independently and in an environment he enjoys being in. According to her, play helps a child symbolize and build relationships which is a process intrinsic to the development of language (p. 53). She emphasizes that while primary and secondary education are important, neglecting the early years is simply not an option and play tends to be the best way of enriching that level. Fae gre, Anderson and Harris (1958) provide buttressing arguments to the same, acknowledging that a child groomed by varying and encouraging methods of outdoor play helps improve their decision making and mathematical skills along all years of development from birth through to college. According to them, the profound effects of enhanced Outdoor play allows a child to develop progressively in not just their physical attributes such as diet, combating illnesses and clothing habits but also allows them to indulge in self-discipline which is the core feature of adulthood moderation. Of course, this does not take away from the importance of family but highlights how Play is essential to the upbringing of the child. Play: A Historical Perspective Traditionally, Play has been a major part of early development highlighted by the concepts of camping with the family and playing in the park in the early years. The weight of play can be traced as far back as Plato and Aristotle. Plato highlighted t he fact that Play arouses and enhances a child’s curiosity and is an essential part of his development primarily because of that self-defined interest in the nursery years (3-6). According to Plato, a child’s development can be deemed into stages all of which have to be complemented by their own version of Play as according to him, a child learns most effectively amongst an environment he likes to be in. It was important to hone the child’s moral standards by teaching him tales of virtue at an early age (Frost 2010, p. 10) and at the nursery stage (3 to 6 years) such teachings were to be engulfed in Play as nursery formed the most important part of education (Plato 1952, cited in Frost 2010, p. 10). Similarly, Aristotle agreed with Plato’s theories and insisted that the first five years were dedicated to Play in order to offset any bad habits that a child may be prone to develop. He similarly believed that a child must find amusement in what he does and t he best way to arouse his interest in education was through Play. The medieval times did not consider childhood as a separate stage of life but considered all children to be young adults, a notion that lasted until the end of the Middle Ages (Frost 2010, p. 13). When childhood surfaced as a separate stage of life in the 19th century, scholars of late followed through with similar abbreviations of Play,