On the religion of the ancient Persians we refer to the articles MAGI and MEDES. [See also Hyde, De Rd. Vet. Persarunt ; Windischmann, Zoroas trische Studien, 1839 ; Bleek, The Religious Books of the Parsees Translated, 1864.] The Persian language was diverse from the Shemitic, and connected with the Indo-Germanic tongues, of which the Sanscrit may be considered as the eldest branch. [Its oldest form appears in the Zendavesta, though not without corruptions from later sources ; in the inscriptions of the Aehmenian kings we have it in its second stage, and happily without later admixture ; and the Per sian gives it in a third stage. The modem Persian is its degenerate representative, being much cor rupted by infusions from the Arabic. M. Muller, Science of Language, 1st ser. p. 192, ff.] (Adelung, Mithridat., i. 255, seq. ; O. Frank, De Persidis Lingua et Genio, Norimb. 1809 ; Wahl., Gesch. d. Morgenliina' Sprache v. Literatur, p. 129, seq.) The great Persian kingdom founded by Cyrus, in the period of its highest glory comprised all Asiatic countries from the Mediterranean to the Indus, from the Black and Caspian Sea to Arabia and the Indian Ocean. This vast empire was divided into many provinces or satrapies, one of which was Persia (properly so called) or Persis (Farsistan), which on the north was separated from Media by the range of mountains denominated Parchratras, on the west bordered on Susiana (Khusistan), on the south reached to the Persian Gulf, and on the east was bordered by Carmania (Kirman). The country that lies along the sea is a sandy plain, which the heat and poisonous winds render unfit for human abodes (Plin., Hist. Nat., xii. 20). The interior is crossed by rocky moun tains, whose summits are covered with snow the greater part of the year. This mountain-chain renders the north of the country rough and un fruitful, so that herdsmen and nomads alone dwell there. In the intermediate parts, however, are found many well-watered valleys and plains, which yield to few in fruitfulness and mildness of climate (Strabo, xv. p. 727 ; Ptolem., vi. 4 ; Mannert, Geog., ii. 497). The inhabitants of this province of Persis were connected by blood with the Medes, and were divided into many tribes and clans (Herod., i. 125), three of which were noble—the Pasargadia, the Maraphii, and the Maspii. The Pasargadie held the pre-eminence ; of which tribe was Cyrus, a circumstance to which he in part owed his power and influence.
The residences of the monarchs of the immense country denominated Persia were various. Pasar gada, with its royal tombs, was most ancient. Per sepolis rose not very far from it, and became a treasure-city. After the overthrow of the Baby lonian kingdom, Cyrus, while preserving a regard for the more ancient cities of the empire, seems to have thought Babylon a more suitable place for the metropolis of Asia ; but as it might not be politic, if it were possible, to make a strange place the centre of his kingdom, he founded a new city, Susa, where he was still on Persian ground, and yet not far dis tant from Babylon. There was also Ecbatana, the Median capital. These several royal abodes seem to have been occupied by the later monarchs, accord ing as the season of the year called for a colder, warmer, or milder climate.
We have before seen that the Persian monarchy had its chronicles. These may have been con sulted by our classical authorities, but are wholly lost to us. We are therefore thrown on two foreign sources of information regarding the Persian his tory : I. The Jewish, to be elicited chiefly from the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, of which something has been said. 2. Grecian writers. Of these, Ctesias availed himself of the Persian annals, but we have only extracts from his work in Photius. Herodotus appears also to have consulted the native sources of Persian history. Xenophon presents us with the fullest materials, namely, in his Anahasis, his Hellen/ea, and espe• cially in his Cyraperdta, which is an imaginary pie.
ture of a perfect prince, according to Oriental con ceptions, drawn in the person of Cyrus the elder. Some of the points in which the classical authori ties disagree may be found set forth in Eichhorn's Gesch. der A. Welt., i. 82, 83. A representation of the Persian history, according to Oriental autho rities, may be found in the Hallische Allgenzeinc Weltseschichte, th. iv. A very diligent compila tion is that of Brissonius, De Pesyzo Persarum, 1591. Consult especially Heeren's Ideen, i. 1; and his Handbuch der G. d. S. Allerth., i. 102. A full and valuable list of the older authorities in Persian affairs may be seen in the Bibliotheca Histo rica of Meusellius, vol. i., pt. ii., p. 28, seq. [See also Malcolm, Hist. of Persia from the Earliest Ages, 2 vols. 4t0, 1816 ; Rawlinson's Herodotzes, ii. ; 'carnal of the Asiatic Soc., vols. x. and xi.]— j. R. B.