State and Empire

    Many people base the classical era around the Roman Empire because of the greatness that came from it and with it. While they were a great empire there were many empires that lasted longer and were bigger than the Roman Empire but because Western civilization started with the Roman Empire many people choose this as their base. There were many other empires like the Persian  Empire that was one of the biggest and most impressive empires. The Persians had anywhere from 35 to 50 million people they were ruling over. Within those millions of people, they had many different languages, cultures, and state. What made them so great and powerful is the ability to accommodate to their people.  Many of the Jewish people who lived in Babylon and were kicked out, were allowed to go back to Babylon and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Herodotus, the father of history, thought the Persians were too accommodating in their ways and in that aspect would lose control of their empire.

      On the other hand, there was the Greek Empire which differed greatly in ruling in comparison to the Persians. When people think of the Greeks they think of those in togas and Greek Gods. Many people know that the democracy the United States uses today came from the Greeks but yet they aren't the ones that are being revolved around like the Romans. The act of sport was also given to us by the Greeks which is something we hold high up in our society.   Because the Greeks and Persians were so different with ruling they had many wars. The Greco-Persian Wars were won by the Greeks no matter the circumstance.  Whether they fought on land or they fought at sea the Greeks had the better military and the better support because of their innovative leadership. Overall, it is fascinating how these empires lasted for centuries even when they were a largely sized empire. If we compare the United States with these Empires we are children when it comes to ruling.