The Persian Empire
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how the Persian Empire became so powerful.
Key learning points
- In Mesopotamia, where Sumer had once flourished, warring city-states continued to vie for supremacy.
- Cyrus, king of Persian Achaemenids, conquered the kingdom of Medes and the city of Babylon, creating the Persian Empire.
- Cyrus' son Cambyses went on to conquer Egypt, so that the pharoahs were now controlled by Persia.
- By 490 BCE, a king named Darius ruled over the Persian Empire, adding to it with territory in the Indus Valley.
- Darius wanted to add the Greek city-states to his empire and so the two civilisations went to war.
Keywords
Mesopotamia - meaning 'between two rivers', Mesopotamia is the name given to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Sumer - Sumer was the earliest ancient civilisation to be known about and was located in the south of Mesopotamia
Persian Empire - the civilisation that rivalled Ancient Greece to its east was Persia, all the lands they ruled were the Persian Empire
Territory - a territory is an area of land that is far away from a country but is still ruled by the country
Indus Valley - the Indus Valley surrounds the River Indus, a powerful river that flows through India and Pakistan
Common misconception
That the historical places named still exist today.
Over time, names and boundaries of places can change. Some places cease to exist entirely while the locations of some places do still exist but they have a different name today. A large area of Persia for example is in the modern-day country of Iran.
Teacher tip
Use a world map or globe to help pupils understand the spatial pattern of how the Persian Empire grew. They will see as the empire grows from territory to neighbouring territory that the growth was strategic and measured not random, so war with Ancient Greece was inevitable when the two collided.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the Ancient Greek word to its description.
an Anciety Greek city state
a market place in Ancient Greece
an area built high-up overlooking the city
Q2.What is the correct definition of a city-state in Ancient Greece?
Q3.Which was one of the largest city-states in Ancient Greece?
Q4.True or false: There are many legacies of Ancient Greece that still exist in the modern world.
Q5.Which of the below are Ancient Greek legacies that still exist today?
Q6.What is the name of the famous temple at the top of acropolis in Athens?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the below are locations that relate to the Persian Empire?
Q2.Why had there been many wars to gain control of Mesopotamia?
Q3.What was the name of the king who ruled over the early Persian Empire?
Q4.Which country did Cambyses and the Persian army take control of to expand their territory?
Q5.Which statements about the Persian king Darius are correct?
Q6.Which ancient civilisation was Persia in conflict for about 50 years from 499 BCE to 449 BCE?
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: The Persian Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: The Persian Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.