Percis is an ancient geographical term for West Asia, located mainly in the northern Persian Gulf, roughly equivalent to the present-day Fars Province of Iran. It is located in the southwest of the Iranian plateau, with the remnants of Zagros running through its west, so the territory is mostly mountainous and hilly.
The ancient Poseidon was equivalent to today's Fars Province
In fact, Poseidon, like the bordering Mesopotamia, has a long history. As early as the end of the Neolithic period, there were already traces of human and animal habitation, and it was once called palaça (the land of horses) by the Sumerians. Later Assyrian inscriptions also mentioned the word, which was subsequently adopted by indo-European ancestors who migrated to the area, and gradually evolved into "Pasua". The Persian name, known to later generations, is the Greek transliteration of the Assyrian inscription.
The Indo-European ancestors who arrived in the territory of Persis in the 10th century BC
Due to the complexity of the landscape, the Poseidon region tends to have a varied climate and poor land. In addition, it is not a commercial route in the traditional sense, so the degree of development has always been relatively slow. In the 7th century BC, the Persian ancestors established their own tribal states, but became vassals of their powerful neighbors Elam and the Medes, and were forced to pay tributes and provide servitude to the suzerainty. It was not until the triumph of the Achaemenid dynasty that the de facto status of the region rose to the top and became the absolute center of a vast empire.
According to the Besistown inscription, as the "land of kings" directly under the center, the settlers of Poseidon enjoyed various privileges. Although they were still subject to taxation, they did not have to pay tribute like other provinces in the Empire.
During the Achaemenid Empire, Persis was a privileged place of Gyeonggi
In addition, The special position of Poseidon in the Empire was also reflected in the burial places of the kings: the mausoleum of Cyrus II was in Pasagadi, Darius I, II, Xerxes I and Ataxerxes I were buried in Nax Rustam, and Ataxerxes II and III chose the imperial capital of Persepolis directly. These cities are within the territory of Poseidon.
However, the strength of the Achaemenid dynasty did not last long. In the late 4th century BC, Alexander's Macedonian kingdom rose strongly and quickly replaced the former as the predominant. In particular, in January 330 BC, he sent troops to occupy the important pass of Persian Gate and completely destroyed the city of Persepolis that his opponents had painstakingly built. From then on, Poseidon became the domain of the new Macedonian Empire and later ruled by the Seleucid dynasty established by his successors.
The destruction of Persepolis heralded the loss of Poseidon's leading position
Lost to its special status, Poseidon quickly became an ordinary province of the Hellenistic Empire. Not only is it difficult to compare with the rich Babylonia, but it is even less important than Elam, which is next to it. So much so that for hundreds of years, the local area could not support large cities, and could only rely on ancient customs to look at Susa and Seleucia in the distance. And from the perspective of maintaining the traffic line, Percis is not as important as the Medes in the north.
Because of this, around the 3rd century BC, leading to the reign of Antiochus I, indigenous rulers reappeared. The Seleucid kings were often too lazy to intervene in such separatist forces, demanding only that the other side recognize their suzerainty. The latter's title was Platalaka, a kind of government official title, and could be used for posterity by issuing monetary inscriptions. And, like all indigenous high-rankings who were forced to submit, these Platalacas often deliberately emphasized their legitimacy through rituals and attire. One of the most effective arguments is to call off the Achaemenid royal descendants as a way to appeal to the commoners who were dissatisfied with Hellenistic rule.
The surviving Poseidon nobles often claimed to be descendants of the Achaemenid dynasty
Ironically, the Platarakas, though they used sanctity only for internal propaganda, attracted the attention of the Seleucid royal family. For example, in 220 BC, the Median governor Morón rebelled against the central government, and Alexander, the governor of Poseidon, also responded with an army. As subordinate vassals, The Earth Kings of Poseis followed suit. The rebellion was quickly suppressed by Antiochus III, and he himself was retaliated for his two-sided and three-bladed ride on the wall. Thus, beginning in 205 BC, Poseidon did not issue a silver draconian coin for more than 40 years. Obviously, this is the direct consequence of being suppressed by retaliation.
On the other hand, the Yuan sect temples, which are free from secular power, are also spreading the idea of resistance in their own way. In the texts compiled in this era, Alexander the Great and his successors were cursed "priests killers." In fact, the Greeks not only did not have as much effort to target the monks, but were more tolerant because of their polytheistic traditions. The most prominent mistake is simply to deprive the traditional Iranian-style belief of its supremacy. As a result, large and small temples scattered throughout the countryside and in the mountains have expanded their territory in the name of maintaining traditions. In particular, taking advantage of the Seleucids' suppression of secular princes, this area with most feudal territories was gradually transformed into a very special order world. However, at that time, the results of this evolutionary trend were not obvious.
The suppression of secular power allowed Poseidon's Zoroastrian forces to grow bigger and stronger
In the 2nd century BC, the Seleucid Empire began to decline due to Rome's eastward expansion and frequent infighting. Thus, the Persian king Shekandat, who was from the Bagadat family, seized the opportunity to declare independence around 160 BC. Unfortunately, this revival did not last long, and the more powerful Parthians began to move south from the northern part of the Iranian plateau. The Platalacas, who had presented themselves as anti-Greek pioneers, realized that they were more receptive to the Seleucid dynasty. Thus, in antiochus VII's crusade army, there were indigenous Persian troops who came to support.
In fact, as early as around 140 BC, the Parthian king Mithridates I had sent people to Poseidon and forced the local Darius I to become vassals. It was only because of successive attacks by Greeks in the West and Cypriots in the East that this area of low economic value was temporarily allowed to go. When Mithridates II was regrouped, Poseidon's vassal status was completely determined. Within the next 3 and a half centuries, the descendants of the former Achaemenid dynasty were forced to submit to the barbarians they had previously looked down upon.
After some struggles Persis became a vassal of the Parthian Empire
In the 1st century AD, the indigenous kingdom of Poseidon was further loosened. The lords of each city in the territory are all operating independently, and each has jurisdiction over an acre and a third of the land in his hands. They are also hostile to each other, often clashing over the resources of survival. Only the Bagadat family, which ruled the city of Stahl, retained a little appeal and was regarded by the Parthian Empire as a proxy for contact. But they also lost the ability to expand, and it was even less likely that Percis would be able to surpass Babylon, Elam, and the Medes economically, and in fact rely on the protection of the Ctesiphon court.
At the beginning of the 3rd century AD, the Parthian Empire was finally unable to sustain itself due to internal and external troubles, and Poseis, as a vassal of the King, was bound to suffer an impact. At this time, the Zoroastrian community that had grown up had basically achieved the transcendence of ordinary secular power. For example, Papekyu, the son of the Sassanid priest of Stahe, was promoted to king of the earth between 205 and 208 AD. In just four years, he sent an army to destroy the weakened Gadat dynasty, thus achieving the reintegration of the whole territory of Poseidon.
The Sassanid Dynasty also used Poseidon as the land of dragons
Subsequent successions of Shapur I and Ardashir burned the war to the surrounding areas. Not only did they occupy the economically wealthy Elam, Chalassini and Kalmani, but they also took advantage of the situation to overthrow the dying Parthian center.
At this point, Percis became the stronghold of the vast empire again, and to a large extent, received preferential policies. But the Sassanids, which held high the banner of the Great Revival, still had their capital at Ctesiphon, built by their rivals. Greek also continues to be recognized as one of the official languages of the new dynasty, and even the king's own title of "Bahram" is actually derived from the ancient Greek Hercules hercules. Therefore, a bright future that seems to have a bright future is nothing more than a "beautiful handout" that relies on ideology and feelings in exchange.
Early Sassanid warriors wearing ancient Greek muscle breastplates
By the mid-7th century AD, Muslim Arabs began to cross the southern desert. Percys, who had long been accustomed to being well protected, was far inferior in the will to resist in several other conquered provinces, becoming one of the few model areas that could achieve "bloodless opening". As a result, the political position was further weakened, and for more than 1,000 years, it was no longer the leader of the situation that could dominate the direction of the Iranian plateau...