CleverPath

Persia: Cyrus II to the Death of Darius III

ANC-ACH is worth about 25 marks out of 100 in recent HSC Ancient History papers. Practise 12 exam-style questions (multiple choice, short answer) with instant marking and a worked solution for every question.

START PRACTISING

Topic notes

Persia from Cyrus II to the death of Darius III — the conquests of Cyrus and Cambyses, Darius I and the organisation of the empire, kingship and the court, Persia and the Greeks, the 4th-century empire and its fall to Alexander, with how to use Persian and Greek evidence in the 25-mark essay.

  1. 1What you need to know
  2. 2Kings of the period
  3. 3Building the empire
  4. 4Darius I and the organisation of the empire
  5. 5Kingship and the court
  6. 6Persia and the Greeks
  7. 7The fall of the empire
  8. 8Evidence and interpretations
  9. 9Writing the 25-mark essay
  10. 10Common mistakes
  11. 11Exam tips
  12. 12Links to other topics
READ THE NOTES

Example questions

Example 1 · 1 mark · multiple choice

Which country did Cambyses II add to the Persian Empire in 525 BC?

  1. ALydia
  2. BBabylonia
  3. CThrace
  4. DEgypt

Example 2 · 1 mark · multiple choice

What does the Cyrus Cylinder (539 BC) claim about Cyrus II's capture of Babylon?

  1. ACyrus freed all slaves in his new empire
  2. BMarduk chose Cyrus to restore order in Babylon
  3. CCyrus founded Persepolis to rule his new conquests
  4. DAhuramazda gave Cyrus his victory over the Babylonians

Example 3 · 25 marks · short answer

Assess the reasons for the rapid expansion of the Persian Empire under Cyrus II, Cambyses II and Darius I.

(25 marks)

Answers and worked solutions appear when you practise these questions.

Other Ancient History topics