For the Glory of Ahuramazda: The Political Effects of Zoroastrianism on Early Achaemenid Persia

Abstract

This paper examines how the Achaemenid Persian Empire, coming into existence through the efforts of Cyrus the Great in 550 BCE, and the largest empire the world had seen up until that time, was influenced by the morality-based religion of Zoroastrianism. The earliest forms of Zoroastrianism came into being around the time of the first Achaemenid Kings Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius, and Xerxes. This paper will argue that these early leaders of the Achaemenid Empire were able to use the religious ideas of Zoroastrianism to their benefit in varying ways, including legitimization of rule and later religious destruction of non-Zoroastrian religions. Through the examination of ancient inscriptions commissioned by each Achaemenid King, the earliest written remains of the Zoroastrian faith known as the Gathas, and through non-Persian sources such as Herodotus, this paper will determine that the Achaemenid Empire's growth could be attributed in part to the usage of Zoroastrian concepts in the political policies of the Persian Kings, allowing both the religion and the Empire to dominate the Middle East.