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PERSIS (mod. Fars, q.v.)
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See also:PERSIS (mod. See also:Fars, q.v.) , the See also:south-western See also:part of See also:Iran (See also:Persia), named from the inhabitants, the Iranian See also:people of the Parsa (Fars); their name was pronounced by the See also:Ionians Persai, with See also:change from a to e, and this See also:form has become dominant
of Timur and his successors (see an See also:account of the Zafarnama
under PETIS DE LA CROIX) ; histories of sects and See also:creeds, especially
the famous Dabistan, or " School of See also:Manners " (translated by
Shea and Troyer, See also:Paris 1843); and many See also:local See also:chronicles of Iran
and Turan. Next in importance to See also:history See also:rank See also:geography,
cosmography, and travels (for instance, the Nuzhat-ulieulub, by
IIamdallah Mustaufi, who died in 1349, and the See also:translations of
Istakhri's and Kazvini's Arabic See also:works), and the various tadhkiras
or See also:biographies of Sufis and poets, with selections in See also:prose and
See also:verse, from the See also:oldest of `Aufi (about 1220) to the last and largest
of all, the Makhzan-ulghara'ib, or " Treasure of Marvellous
Matters " (completed 1803), which contains bi sgraphies and
specimens of more than 3000 poets. We pass over the well-
stocked sections of See also:philosophy, See also:ethics and politics, of See also:theology,
See also:law and Sufism, of See also:mathematics and See also:astronomy, of See also:medicine
(the oldest See also:thesaurus of which is the " Treasure of the shah of
Khwarizam," 1110), of Arabic, See also:Persian and See also:Turkish See also:grammar and
lexicography, and only See also:cast a parting glance at the See also:rich collection
of old See also:Indian folk-See also:lore and fables preserved in the Persian version
of Kalilah u Dimnah (see RUDAGI), of the Sindbad-
in See also:Greek and in the See also:modern See also:European See also:languages. The natural be See also:Smerdis, the son of See also:Cyrus, See also:rose in Yautiya, but was defeated features of Persis are described very exactly by See also:Nearchus, the
See also:admiral of See also: " This See also:land Persis," says See also:Darius, in an inscription at See also:Persepolis, " which Ahuramazda has given to me, which is beautiful and rich in horses and men, according to the will of Ahuramazda and myself it trembles before no enemy." The third part is the See also:north, which belongs to the central See also:plateau, still much higher, and therefore rough and very See also:cold in the See also:winter. Towards the north-See also:west it See also:borders on the Median See also:district of Paraetacene (about See also:Isfahan); towards the north and north-See also:east it soon passes into the great See also:desert, of which only the See also:oasis of See also:Yezd (Isatichai in Ptolem. vi. 4, 2) is inhabitable. In the east, Persis proper is separated by a desert (See also:Laristan) from the fertile See also:province of Carmania (See also:Kerman), a mountainous region inhabited by a Persian tribe. To Carmania belonged also the coast, with the islands and harbours of See also:Hormuz and Bander Abbasi. In the west Persis borders on the mountains and plains of See also:Elam or Susiana. For the See also:ancient See also:topography cf. Tomaschek, " Beitrage zur historischen Topographie von Persien," in Sitzungsber. der Wiener Akademie, phil. Cl. cii. cviii. cxxi. The Persians are not mentioned in history before the See also:time of Cyrus; the See also:attempt to identify them with, the Parsua, a district in the Zagros chains south of See also:Lake See also:Urmia, often mentioned by the Assyrians, is not tenable. The Parsua are perhaps the non-Arian tribe llapvwi in See also:northern See also:Media, Strabo xi. 508. See also:Herodotus 1. 125, gives a See also:list of Persian tribes: the See also:Pasargadae (at See also:Murghab), Maraphii, Maspii, Panthialaei (in western Carmania), Derusiaei, Germanii (i.e. the Carmanians) are husbandmen, the Dahae (i.e. the " enemies," a See also:general name of the rapacious nomads, used also for the Turanian tribes), Mardi, Dropici, Sagartii (called by Darius Asagarta, in the central desert; cf. See also:Herod. vii. 85) are nomads. The See also:kings of the Pasargadae, from the See also:clan of the Achaemenidae, had become kings of the Elamitic district Anshan (probably in 596, cf. CYRUS). When, in 553, Cyrus, See also: 4 and 8. The Persians of Cyrus (see PERSIA: Ancient History) were a vigorous See also:race of husbandmen, living in a healthy climate, accustomed to hardship, brave and upright; many stories in Herodotus (especially ix. 122) point the contrast between their See also:simple See also:life and the effeminate nations of the civilized countries of See also:Asia. They were firmly attached to the pure creed of Zoroaster (cf. Herod. i. 131 sqq. and the See also:inscriptions of Darius). When Darius had killed the usurper Smerdis and gained the See also:crown, a new usurper, Vahyazdata, who likewiae pretended to 1 To the Pateiskhoreis belongs the See also:lance-See also:bearer of Darius, " Gobryas (Gaubaruva) the Patishuvari," mentioned in his See also:tomb-inscription; they occur also in an inscription of Esarhaddon as Patush-ara, eastwards of Media, in Choarene at the See also:Caspian See also:gates; the Kyrtii are the Kurds. in two battles by Darius's generals and put to See also:death (See also:Behistun inscription). Cyrus had built his See also:capital with his See also:palace and tomb, in Pasargadae (q.v.). Darius founded a new See also:city about 30 M. farther south on the See also:left See also:bank of the Pulwar, near its confluence with the Kur, with a large See also:terrace, on which his magnificent palace and that of his son See also:Xerxes were built. As Pasargadae was named after the tribe in whose district it See also:lay, so the new capital is by the Persians and Greeks simply called " the Persians "; later authors See also:call it Persepolis (q.v.), " the Persian city." Another Persian palace lay in Taoke, near the coast (Strabo xv. 728; Arrian Ind. 39; Dionys. Perieg. 1069); Gabae, which Strabo mentions besides, is Isfahan in Paraetacene and belonged already to Media. Both in Persepolis and Pasargadae large masses of See also:gold and See also:silver from the tribute of the subject nations were treasured, as in See also:Susa and See also:Ecbatana. But Persis lies too far off from the centre of the See also:Asiatic See also:world to be the seat of See also:government. Like See also:Arabia and similar countries, it could exercise a great momentary See also:influence in history and produce a sudden change throughout the world; but afterwards it would sink into local insignificance. So the Persian kings fixed their See also:residence at Susa, which is always considered as the capital of the empire (therefore See also:Aeschylus wrongly considers it as a Persian See also:town and places the tomb of Darius here). After the reign of Xerxes, Persis and Persepolis became utterly neglected, in spite of occasional visits, and even the palaces of Persepolis remained in part unfinished. But the See also:national feeling of the Persians remained strong. When Alexander had won the victory of See also:Arbela, and occupied See also:Babylon and Susa, he met (in the See also:spring of 330) with strong resistance in Persia, where the See also:satrap See also:Ariobarzanes tried to stop his progress at the " Persian gates," the pass leading up to Persepolis. Here he set See also:fire to the See also:cedar roof of the palace of Xerxes as a See also:symbol that the Greek See also:war of revenge against the Persians had come to an end. Our best See also:information tells us that he soon had the fire extinguished (Plut. Alex. 38); the See also:story of See also:Thais is a pure fiction, and we may well believe that he repented the damage he had done (Arrian vi. 30, 1). Alexander had planned to amalgamate the former rulers of the world with his Macedonians; but his death was followed by a Macedonian reaction. Peucestas, the new satrap of Persis, followed the example of Alexander, and thus gained a strong hold on his subjects (Diod. xix. 48); nor did Seleucus, to whom the dominion of the east ultimately passed (from 311 onwards), disdain the aid of the Persians; he is the only one among the See also:Diadochi who retained his Persian wife, Apame, daughter of Spitamenes. At the same time Seleucus and his son See also:Antiochus I. See also:Soter tried to introduce See also:Hellenism into Persis. Of Greek towns which they founded here 'we know See also:Alexandria in Carmania (Plin. vi. 107; Ptol. vi. 8, 14; Ammian. Marc. 23, 6, 49), See also:Laodicea in the east of Persis (Plin. 6, 115), Stasis, " a Persian town on a great See also:rock, which Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, possessed " (Steph. Byz. s.v.), Antiochia in Persis, founded apparently by Seleucus I. and peopled by Antiochus I. with immigrants called together from all See also:Greece, as we learn from a psephisma passed by " See also:boule and demos " of this town in 206 in See also:honour of See also:Magnesia on the Maeander (See also:Kern, Inschriften von Magnesia am Maeander, No. 61=Dittenberger, Orientis gr. inscr. 233, where they are mentioned together with a great many Seleucid towns in Susiana and Babylonia, and compare Kern, No. 18=Dittenberger, No. 231). An insurrection of the Persians against Seleucus (II.) is mentioned in two stratagems of See also:Polyaenus (vii. 39. 40). When in 221 Molon, the satrap of Media, rebelled against Antiochus III., his See also:brother Alexander, satrap of Persis, joined him, but they were defeated and killed by the king. Persis remained a part of the Seleucid empire down to Antiochus IV. Epiphanes, who at the end of his reign restored once more the authority of the empire in Babylonia, Susiana and Persis; perhaps a See also:battle, in which the satrap See also:Numenius of Mesene (See also:southern Babylonia). defeated the Persians on the See also:shore of Carma.nia on sea and land (Plin. vi. 52), belongs to this time, But after the death of Antiochus IV. (164) the
Seleucid Empire began to dissolve. While the central provinces, Media and northern Babylonia, were conquered by the Parthians, Mesene, Elymais and Persis made themselves See also:independent.
Persis never became a part of the empire of the Arsacids, although her kings recognized their supremacy when they were strong (Strabo xv. 728, 736). From the periplus of the Erythraean Sea 33-37 we learn that their authority extended over the shores of Carmania and the opposite coasts of Arabia. A Persian king, See also:Artaxerxes, who was murdered by his brother Gosithros at the See also:age of 93 years, is mentioned in a fragment of Isidore of Charax (See also:Lucian, Macrobii, 1 s). Other names occur on their coins, the oldest of which are imitations of Seleucid coins, and were perhaps struck by local dynasts under their supremacy; most of the others show the king's See also:head with the Persian See also:tiara, and on the See also:reverse a fire-See also:altar with the adoring king before it, a See also:standard (perhaps the famous banner of the See also: 486 seq. The legends are in Aramaic characters and Persian (See also:Pahlavi) See also:language; among them occur Artaxerxes, Darius (from a dynast of this name the town Darabjird, " town of Darius," in eastern Persia seems to derive its name), See also:Narses, See also:Tiridates, Manocihr and others; the name Vahuburz seems to be identical with Oborzos, mentioned by Polyaenus 40, who put down a See also:rebellion of 3000 settlers (Karoucoi) in Persis. From the traditions about See also:Ardashir I. we know that at his time there were different See also:petty kingdoms and usurpers in Persis; the See also:principal See also:dynasty is by See also:Tabari called Bazrangi. The coins demonstrate that Hellenism had become quite See also:extinct in Persis, while the old See also:historical and mythical traditions and the Zoroastrian See also:religion were supreme. There can be no doubt that at this time the true form of Zoroastrianism and the sacred writings were preserved only in Persis, whereas everywhere else (in See also:Parthia, in the Indo-Scythian kingdoms of the east and in the great propagandist See also:movement in See also:Armenia, See also:Syria and Asia See also:Minor, where it See also:developed into Mithraism) it degenerated and was mixed with other cults and ideas. So the revival of Zoroastrianism came from Persis. When Ardashir I. attempted to restore the old empire of Cyrus and Darius, and in 212 A.D. rose against the See also:Parthian king, See also:Artabanus, his aim was religious as well as See also:political. The new Sassa.nid Empire which he founded enforced the restored religion of Zoroaster (Zarathustra) on the whole of Iran. The new capital of Persis was Istakhr on the Pulwar, about q m. above Persepolis, now Hajjiabad, where even the predecessors of Ardashir I. are said to have resided. It was a great city under the Sassanids, of which some ruins are extant. But it shared the See also:fate of its predecessor; when the empire was founded the Sassanids could no longer remain in Persis but transferred their headquarters to See also:Ctesiphon. (ED. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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