Achaemenid Persia · 522-486 BC

Darius: how to run an empire of many peoples

Darius I inherited an empire that stretched across three continents and dozens of languages. Students examine the tools he used to hold it together: provinces and governors, fixed taxes, a gold coin, a new capital at Persepolis and an inscription carved into a cliff.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 500 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Darius I inherited an empire that stretched across three continents and dozens of languages. Students examine the tools he used to hold it together: provinces and governors, fixed taxes, a gold coin, a new capital at Persepolis and an inscription carved into a cliff.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the satrapy system and explain why Darius divided the empire into about twenty provinces.
  • Locate Persepolis, Susa and Behistun and explain the purpose of each.
  • Explain how a single ruler could govern peoples from Egypt to the Indus without one common language.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

500 BC

Three continents

Open the map in 500 BC and zoom out until the whole Achaemenid Empire fits on the screen. It covers parts of Europe (Thrace), Africa (Egypt) and Asia. Count how many modern countries it crosses. Why does an empire this size need a system, not just a king?

Open this view on the map
b

500 BC

Persepolis

Zoom in on Persepolis in southern Iran with the Cities layer on. Darius began it around 518 BC as a ceremonial capital. Its great staircase shows delegations from 23 peoples bringing gifts. Turn on Historical Events (Cultural) and find "Construction of Persepolis".

Open this view on the map
c

500 BC

A story on a cliff

Travel to Behistun, on the road from Babylon to Ecbatana, where Darius had his rise to power carved 60 m up a cliff in three languages. Open Stories (top left) and play The Persian Empires to see the empire at its height.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Darius divided the empire into provinces called satrapies, each with a governor, a fixed tax and a garrison. What could go wrong with a governor far from the king, and how did Darius guard against it?
  2. The Behistun inscription says Darius restored order after a usurper. Historians still argue over whether he was the rightful heir. Why would a king spend so much on telling his version of events?
  3. The empire's official letters were written in Aramaic, not Persian. Why choose a language that was not the king's own?
  4. At Persepolis, people from Egypt, India, Greece and Central Asia are carved bringing gifts to the king. What message does that staircase send, and to whom?
  5. Darius introduced a gold coin, the daric, and standard weights. How do shared money and measures help hold an empire together?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Darius the Great. Each student makes one ruling about taxes, roads or rebels, then the class checks what Darius really did: satrapies, fixed tribute and the Royal Road.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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