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God’s People Return to Their Land

TWO notable mountain ranges rim the plateau of modern Iran​—the Elburz (south of the Caspian Sea) and the Zagros (southeast toward the Persian Gulf). They are broken by long, fertile valleys with tree-covered slopes. The valleys enjoy a temperate climate, but the higher, arid, windswept plains are frigid in winter. Nearby is the sparsely populated desert of the plateau. In this general region, east of Mesopotamia, the Medo-Persian Empire arose.

The Medes were centered on the northern part of the plateau, although they later spread into Armenia and Cilicia. The Persians, though, were centered on the southwestern part of the plateau, east of the Tigris Valley. Under Cyrus’ rule in the middle of the sixth century B.C.E., these two kingdoms united, forming the Medo-Persian World Power.

Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 B.C.E. His empire extended eastward to India. Westward, it came to include Egypt and what is now Turkey. Daniel fittingly described the Medo-Persian Empire as a rapacious “bear” that ‘ate much flesh.’ (Da 7:5) Cyrus established a humane, tolerant rule. He divided the empire into provinces. Each was ruled by a satrap, usually a Persian, but under him, a local ruler exercised some authority. The peoples of the empire were encouraged to retain their customs and religions.

In keeping with this policy, Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to restore true worship and to rebuild Jerusalem, as described by Ezra and Nehemiah. Do you think that this large body returned by the route Abraham had taken up the Euphrates toward Carchemish, or did they perhaps take the shorter route through Tadmor and Damascus? The Bible does not say. (See pages 6-7.) In time, Jews also settled in other parts of the empire, such as the Nile Delta and places farther south. A sizable Jewish population persisted in Babylon, likely explaining the apostle Peter’s visit there centuries later. (1Pe 5:13) Yes, the Medo-Persian Empire had a role in Jews’ being found in many locations during the succeeding Grecian and Roman empires.

After conquering Babylon, the Medo-Persians used the city, with its torrid summers, as an administrative center. Shushan, the former Elamite capital, was one of the royal cities. Later, that is where Persian King Ahasuerus (evidently Xerxes I) made Esther his queen and thwarted a plot to exterminate God’s people across the vast empire. Two other Medo-Persian capitals were Ecbatana (situated at an elevation of over 6,200 feet [1,900 m], with delightful summers) and Pasargadae (at the same altitude, about 400 miles [650 km] to the southeast).

How did this world power end? At the height of its power, Medo-Persia responded to uprisings fomented by Greeks at the northwestern border. Greece was then divided into warring city-states, but these cooperated to defeat Persian forces in decisive battles at Marathon and Salamis. This set the stage for the supremacy of a unified Greece over Medo-Persia.

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Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, almost 50,000 Israelite men made the journey of 500 to 1,000 miles (depending on the route) back to Jerusalem. What they faced was a grave economic situation. Their land had lain desolate for seven decades. The repatriates started restoring true worship by rebuilding the altar and offering up sacrifices to Jehovah. In the fall of 537 B.C.E., they celebrated the Festival of Booths. (Jer 25:11; 29:10) Then, the returnees laid the foundation of Jehovah’s house.

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BIBLE BOOKS FROM THIS PERIOD:

Daniel

Haggai

Zechariah

Esther

Psalms (part)

1 and 2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Malachi

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(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Medo-Persian Empire

A2 MACEDONIA

A2 THRACE

A4 Cyrene

A4 LIBYA

B2 Byzantium

B2 LYDIA

B3 Sardis

B4 Memphis (Noph)

B4 EGYPT

B5 No-amon (Thebes)

B5 Syene

C3 CILICIA

C3 Tarsus

C3 Issus

C3 Carchemish

C3 Tadmor

C3 SYRIA

C3 Sidon

C3 Damascus

C3 Tyre

C4 Jerusalem

D2 Phasis

D2 ARMENIA

D3 ASSYRIA

D3 Nineveh

D4 Babylon

E3 MEDIA

E3 Ecbatana (Achmetha)

E3 HYRCANIA

E4 Shushan (Susa)

E4 ELAM

E4 Pasargadae

E4 Persepolis

E4 PERSIA

F3 PARTHIA

F4 DRANGIANA

G2 Maracanda (Samarkand)

G3 SOGDIANA

G3 BACTRIA

G3 ARIA

G4 ARACHOSIA

G4 GEDROSIA

H5 INDIA

[Other locations]

A2 GREECE

A3 Marathon

A3 Athens

A3 Salamis

C1 SCYTHIA

C4 Elath (Eloth)

C4 Tema

D4 ARABIA

[Mountains]

E3 ELBURZ MTS.

E4 ZAGROS MTS.

[Bodies of water]

B3 Mediterranean Sea (Great Sea)

C2 Black Sea

C5 Red Sea

E2 Caspian Sea

E4 Persian Gulf

[Rivers]

B4 Nile

C3 Euphrates

D3 Tigris

H4 Indus

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Cyrus’ troops had to cross the Zagros Mountains to reach Babylon

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Top: The Gate of All Nations, at Persepolis

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Inset: Cyrus’ tomb, at Pasargadae