Shah in Iranian and Achaemenid culture

شاه In the Achaemenid period

This name, which has been prevalent in Iranian languages ​​since three thousand years ago, is derived from ancient Persian, which after many historical changes has become "Shah" . Because after the union of Medes and Persia by Cyrus the Great, (550 ق . M ) The term emperor was used . This was because the Aryan and non-Aryan people of the Iranian plateau and its surroundings joined the Achaemenid state and especially their kings and princes also accepted the supremacy of Cyrus. . Shahneshah in ancient Persian comes from Khashaye Thieh, which means King of Kings.

The special dress of the emperor in the Achaemenid period

In times of peace, the emperor wore a long robe made of purple cloth with wide sleeves, and underneath it he wore a long shirt that reached to his knees and had a white collar and a belt on it. . The king's shoes were also golden and had a sharp pointed heel .

The Greeks called the crown of the Achaemenid emperors Ratiar or Gisdaris . The king had a long beard and curly hair and sat on a golden throne and held a golden scepter . Royal decrees and letters were sealed with the Shah's seal and a copy of it was kept in the royal offices . After Dariush's government dominated the situation in Iran, he divided Iran into thirty-three kashtras or provinces and entrusted their administration to people who were trusted by the emperor..

Since the time of the successors of Khashayar Shah, the Achaemenid government has found a kind of autonomy due to the weakness of the institution of governors.. The powers of local kings or emirs changed with the strength or weakness of the central government. Minting of gold coins was one of the coordinates of the emperor . But the governors could sometimes mint silver or copper coins . In the beginning of the Achaemenid period, imperial inspectors, who were called the eyes and ears of the king, were sent to the provinces twice a year..