The Persian Empire was a superpower that existed 2,500 years ago, spanning three continents: Asia, Africa and Latin America. The empire is long gone, and it is difficult to intuitively feel the power of the empire today, but a gold treasure in the British Museum gives the world a chance to feel the greatness of the Persian Empire - that is, the Model of the Two-Wheeled Chariot of Oxos.
Speaking of the Persian Empire, we have to mention the founder of this empire, Cyrus the great. Cyrus was the child of Mandani, the daughter of King Cambizi I of the Anshan and The Medes King Astiagas, and according to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Medes King Astiagas had a dream when Mandani was pregnant, and he dreamed that a flood poured out of his daughter's body, destroying the entire kingdom. The king's advisers interpreted the dream as a prophecy that the king's grandson would one day rebel and usurp the throne. To this end, Astiagus summoned his daughter and asked her to kill her newborn. However, the general Hapags, who commissioned the infant killing, took pity on the child and handed over the young Cyrus to a shepherd to raise, and then took a prematurely deceased child to his death. Cyrus lived in anonymity until he played the game of king with several children that his identity was revealed.
Cyrus the Great
While playing the game, Cyrus, who played the king, whipped the son of a disobedient nobleman, which caused a sensation, and finally discovered Cyrus's true identity while Astiages personally investigated. The court priest said that since the child had become king in the game, he would not become king again. The Medes king then reassured himself and let him return to his biological father. Cyrus succeeded to the throne after the death of his father, but he was not an independent ruler, but had to recognize the dominion of the Median kingdom. The Median kingdom, ruled by Astiageggs, was powerful at the time, ruling much of the ancient Near East.
According to the Annabonic Chronicles, Astiagus launched an attack on the Antian king Cyrus, who sent Hapags to lead the Medes army to conquer Cyrus, but Hapags contacted Cyrus and encouraged him to rebel against the Medes, and eventually Hapags defected with several nobles. In the end, Cyrus won the victory, after which Cyrus released Astiargues and married his daughter and aunt Amitis, and the marriage was successful and served as a pacififice.
Cyrus the Great and Queen
After conquering the Kingdom of the Medes, Cyrus did not stop his pace and continued the war of expansion. The Lydians took the lead in attacking Cyrus's city in Cappadocia, which provoked Cyrus's anger, and he recruited a large army to attack Lydia. After a bitter battle, Cyrus captured the capital Sardis in 546 BC and conquered the kingdom of Lydia. Later, in 540 BC, Cyrus occupied the kingdom of Elam and finally the neo-Babylonian kingdom. After years of conquest, Cyrus established his country into the world's largest empire at the time, stretching from Asia Minor in the east to the Indus Valley in the west.
The mausoleum of Cyrus the Great
After a brief talk about the rise of the Persian Empire, let's return to the protagonist of this article, the model of the two-wheeled chariot of Oxos. The model was made of gold, and the chariot was moved by four war horses, and there were two people on the chariot, a coachman with reins, and the other a much taller passenger, possibly a high-ranking official. This model was found near the Oxos River on the border between present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan, hence the name. This delicate model of carriage is perfect for playing with in the hand, so it may have been a plaything for the children of the nobility, or an ornament in the room.
Model of the Oxos two-wheeled chariot
This gold exhibit, placed in the British Museum for human viewing, reveals much about the Persian Empire. First of all, the carriage was a carriage dedicated to travel, the horses were carefully bred, the wheels were large and stable, and it was perfect for long journeys, even if it was a Ferrari or Porsche of the year. However, such carriages undoubtedly required a well-developed road system to pass on the road, and in fact the roads of the Persian Empire were straight and spacious, and there were many post stations, which allowed information to be transmitted quickly within the country, which was very conducive to the centralized rule of the empire. Secondly, the carriage was accompanied by only two personnel—a coachman, a distinguished passenger, and no escort accompanying him. This undoubtedly reflected the internal stability of the Persian Empire at that time, and the people did not have to worry about their own danger when they traveled long distances. In fact, although the Persian Empire often fought foreign wars, there was little bloodshed within the empire because of the support of a powerful state apparatus.
Remains of the Persian Empire
Finally, from this model we can also see the inclusiveness of the Persian Empire at that time. Although this treasure was found in the border areas of the Persian Empire, there is no doubt that it was made in the central area of the empire from the perspective of metalworking technology. The costumes of the passengers and coachmen are in the style of the ancient Medis people, and the front of the carriage shows the Egyptian god Bess, a good god who blessed long journeys. This was undoubtedly a perfect expression of the cultural inclusivity of the Persian Empire, which accepted and absorbed the cultural beliefs of the conquered peoples. It was because of Persia's great power and inclusiveness that it became an empire spanning three continents and lasted for more than 200 years.
Other treasures found in the Area of Oxos
Even the most powerful empire will eventually decline, and the Persian Empire is no exception. In the later period of the Persian Empire, the national and class contradictions in the country were already very acute, and domestic rebellions were frequent and the situation was chaotic. The Persian Empire was buried by Alexander the Great, known as the "Conqueror of the World", who led a large army to the East, and the Kingdom of Macedonia and the Persian Empire inevitably clashed. In the end, Alexander the Great defeated the Persian king Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela, who was soon killed by his own men in exile, and the once glorious Persian Empire collapsed in the face of a new world overlord.
Alexander the Great
Now that the Persian Empire is long gone, we can only glimpse the mighty empire from archaeological excavations or literary texts. Although this empire has long since collapsed, this does not mean that it has been forgotten by the world, especially iran as a descendant of Persia, for nearly 50 years, Iranians have been constantly exploring the great past of the Persian Empire, hoping to regain the glory of the past. The gleaming model of the Oxos chariot is perhaps the best proof of the glory of the Persian Empire.
Neil McGregor, A Brief History of the World at the British Museum, translated by Yan Yu, Nova Press, 2014.
Michael Axworthy, A Brief History of Iran: From Zoroastrian to today, translated by Zhao Xiangcha, Democracy and Construction Press, 2020.
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