Investigating the Causes of Political Crises in the Achaemenid Kingdom from Consolidating Power to the Deterioration and Destruction

Abstract

Shoja Ahmadvand and Abdolreza Alishahi

The Achaemenids are one of the most powerful and lasting dynasties in ancient Persia, founded by Cyrus the Great. The territory of this dynasty was very wide, extending from the Sind Valley in India to the Nile in Egypt and the Benghazi area in Libya today and from the Danube River in Europe to Central Asia. In this vast state, many tribes lived in their own customs, and maintained their own state and ethnic culture. In fact, the country's most important characteristic was respect for individual and ethnic freedom and the respect for law and order, and the encouragement of indigenous arts and culture as well as the promotion of commerce and art. This authoritative and widespread government process continued to evolve to a point where the dynasty led to the collapse of this powerful dynasty. In this paper, the authors' efforts are about providing a consistent answer to the question what is the most important reason for the collapse and annihilation of the Achaemenid kingdom? The hypothesis that authors will experiment with the methodology of historical sociology and the use of written and librarian resources will be based on the principle that the causes of tyranny, injustice, racial and religious discrimination, the change of military status and the Achaemenid Kings' nationalist veins were confronted with widespread protests and revolts. The findings of the paper, based on the theory of political instability, David Saunders, confirm that the change in the political regime includes changes in norms and laws, the occurrence of successful coups and the change of military status on the one hand and the challenge to the political regime and government including riots and political rallies, unsuccessful coups and deaths from political violence led to the collapse and decline of the Achaemenid government.

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