Persians vs. Greeks - Rooddude

The Persians definitely should think that the Greeks are not worth their time, and the reason why connects to our discussion about trade today in class. Persia was located in Iran, a region rich with resources including iron, tin, and silver. The Greeks were on an essentially barren peninsula, and had to rely on trade to bring in most of their raw resources. In class we established a link between trade and empires, and in this case there is a connection. Persia was the stronger empire because they had the natural resources to be able to trade more, while the Greeks had to import everything. The dominance that Persia has over Greece is also displayed in the conquests of the Persians up until c. 500 B.C.E. Three kings of Persia from 550-500 B.C.E. were Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius I, and in total these rulers were able to conquer a majority of the middle east including Anatolia, and even some Greek city-states. The Persians were dominant over the Greeks in every field and had no reason to fear the Greeks, let alone waste their time on them.