History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

History - Essay Example In 539 B.C., armies of King Cyrus swept into Mesopotamia and managed to capture Babylon. They then took over northern Mesopotamia, Syria, Asia Minor, Canaan as well as the Phoenician cities. Of importance to note is the fact that Cyrus the Great showed all his new subjects great kindness; and his good treatment to them played a significant role in holding his empire together. Cyrus also had an army of professional soldiers trained – sometimes they conquered without bloodshed. In order to connect their holdings, which were obviously extensive, the Persians built roads, with the Royal Road stretching from Asia Minor to the Persian capital, Susa. The Persians also set up wayside stations to supply king’s messengers with fresh horses as well as food and shelter. What is more is that the leaders who followed Cyrus did not cease to add to the Persian territory – they conquered a region northeast of Greece called western India, Egypt, as well as Thrace (Spielvogel 132). Another thing worth noting is what the rulers did to the Persian Empire when it became bigger and therefore very challenging to manage. The government needed reorganization to make it manageable, which King Darius did following his coming to the throne in 521 B.C.