Ancient Persia and the Middle East

'Ancient Persia and the Middle East, Agent, are places in time where Ophelia Chill will be likely to strike. When she does, you've got to be ready!'

People first settled in Persia, or Iran, as it is now known, 1500 BC.

Their kingdom grew into an empire under the rule of Cyrus from 559 to 529 BC.

His son, Darius, took the throne from 521 to 486 BC, and extended the borders of the Persian Empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River, earning the title Darius the Great. He had a great palace built for himself in the capital of Persepolis.

In 490 BC, the Persian armies, led by Darius, attacked the Athenians on the plains of Marathon.

Even though the Persian armies were much larger, the Athenians won the battle due to the brilliant strategy of the general Miltiades.

News of the victory was carried to Athens by a runner named Pheidippides, who collapsed and died after delivering his message. The 26-mile marathon race was created to honor Pheidippides' memory.

Darius' son, Xerxes, attacked the Athenians again in 480 BC, but the Persian armies were defeated in a great sea battle in the Bay of Salamis.

Let's skip ahead to the 7th century AD.

Around AD 570, Muhammad was born in Mecca, in what is now called Saudi Arabia. He experienced a number of visions that led him to teach the worship of the one God, called Allah in Arabic. His religion became known as Islam.

He and his followers were persecuted by the wealthy merchants of Mecca, and they emigrated north to the city of Medina. Despite many battles against the larger armies of Mecca, Muhammad and his followers defeated the Meccans, and took over the city.

Islam spread quickly throughout Arabia and the world. Muhammad's revelations and teachings were written shortly after his death in a book called the Koran.

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Additional Research
To find out more about Ancient Persia, Agent, look up the following topics in your local library:
 * 1) Persepolis
 * 2) Middle Eastern History
 * 3) Ottoman Empire