PERSEPOLIS - ANCIENT IMPERIAL CAPITAL OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE

This unit begins with a photograph overlooking the ruins of Persepolis in 1971 - the year of the 2500th celebrations of the founding of the Persian Empire. With a focus on the history exposed as the ruins were excavated it follows via a map series the expansion of the Persian Empire under several notable Persian Kings. This unit can stand alone as an examination of this Royal capital. It can also be integrated with the history of the Persian Wars; an examination of the rise and fall of Empire and a lead into the role of Alexander the Great in overthrowing the Persian Empire. The unit poses several questions and provides check questions in the final page. Much of the history lay buried under the ashes of the 330 B.C. fire and the subsequent abandonment and sand covering of the ruins. However the history was recorded in bas-reliefs of the ruins and re-discovered by sifting through the ruins and analysing the written cuneiform records that were preserved in vaults beneath the surface ruins. It's an interesting encounter with ancient history.