Persia: a huge empire held together by roads and governors

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Darius speaks, and clerks record (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, the Behistun Inscription, about 520 BCE: carved high on a cliff in what is now western Iran. Darius I tells, in three languages (Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian), how he became king and put down revolts, and he lists 23 lands that he says belong to him. Card B, the Persepolis tablets, about 500 BCE: thousands of clay tablets found at Persepolis, mostly in Elamite. They are everyday records, kept by officials, of food given to workers and travelers. They were not made for the public to read. Card C, a map note: Darius's 23 lands stretched from Egypt in Africa and Lydia in the west to Bactria and Gandara in the east.

2. 1.

   Card A tells its account in three languages. What does that suggest about its audience, Bo asks?

   • Each language told a different story about how Darius became king
   • It was made to help modern scholars learn to read Old Persian writing
   • People who spoke different languages across the empire were meant to read it
   • Each language recorded a different list of food for the workers
3. 2.

   A student says, "Card A shows how much of the empire Darius really controlled." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?

   • Strong: three languages mean three separate sources agree with each other on the lands
   • Weak: a king's carving cannot be used as evidence about the lands it names
   • Weak: card A is Darius's own claim, so it shows what he wanted people to believe
   • Strong: a king carving a list in stone on a cliff would not exaggerate it
4. 3.

   Cards A and B were made for different readers. What do they together suggest about running the empire, Jun asks?

   • People across the empire could read both the cliff carving and the clay tablets
   • Both cards list the lands that belonged to Darius's empire in three languages
   • Both cards were made for workers across the empire to read and obey
   • Rulers used writing both to announce claims and to keep daily records
5. 4.

   Card A dates to about 520 BCE and card B to about 500 BCE. About how far apart are they, Kira asks?

   • About 2,500 years, the time from card A to the present day
   • About 20 years, since 520 minus 500 is 20
   • About 1,020 years, found by adding 520 and 500 together
   • About 500 years, the date on card B rather than the gap
6. 5.

   Card A says Darius faced revolts after becoming king. What did he do next, and what could he then claim, Luz asks?

   • He joined the rebels, and then claimed to rule the lands they held
   • He put down the revolts, and then claimed his rule held the lands together
   • He built Persepolis, which let him defeat the rebels and claim the throne
   • He moved the capital to the cliff at Behistun to watch the rebels from above
7. 6.

   What does card B show about the people who received food from officials, Milo asks?

   • The 23 lands of the empire each sent food to Persepolis by the Royal Road
   • Officials gave the food to Darius, who stored it on the cliff at Behistun
   • Workers and travelers were given food by officials, recorded on clay
   • Workers across the empire were paid in food that was recorded on clay
8. 7.

   Which source is better for learning what workers actually received at Persepolis, Pia asks?

   • Neither card, because officials' records are too ordinary to count as evidence
   • Card A, because kings list their workers' pay on cliffs
   • Card B, the tablets that officials kept at the time of the work
   • Card C, a modern map note about the lands of the empire
9. 8.

   A student says, "Darius ruled lands in both Africa and Asia." Which cards support that claim, Tala asks?

   • Card C, which shows that Darius ruled the whole continent of Africa
   • Card B, which lists Egypt and Bactria on its tablets as lands that sent food
   • Card A lists Egypt, and card C places it in Africa with Bactria in Asia
   • Card A, because the cliff carving stands on the border between two continents
10. 9.

    Which came first, the cliff carving in card A or the tablets in card B, Zee asks?

    • The tablets, because 500 is a smaller number than 520
    • The cliff carving, because 520 BCE is earlier than 500 BCE
    • Neither, because both were made at the same moment in Darius's reign
    • The tablets, because clay is an older writing material than carved stone
11. 10.

    Why would officials write down food given to workers on clay tablets, Ren asks?

    • To announce the king's victories to travelers passing through Persepolis
    • To keep track of supplies so that the food could be checked later
    • To leave a history for people to read in the distant future
    • To teach new clerks the Old Persian script from the Behistun carving