What Jobs Did Ancient Persians Perform?

Men, women and children worked in ancient Persia to support a diverse economy. Workers were paid in wine and grain, with skilled laborers paid more than unskilled, and supervisors paid more than workers. Men were paid slightly more than women, but female supervisors were paid more than the men working under them. Young women received maternity leave and were paid money for each child they had.

Farmers

One of the most important jobs in Persia was farming. This could be done on small farms or large estates. Family farms were often subsistence farms, producing only what was needed, while large farms provided food for the nobles and for selling in the marketplace. Wealthy landowners had servants as well as paid foremen and professional farmers working their land. Crops included rice, wheat, apricots, artichokes, spinach and citrus fruits. Livestock was primarily sheep and goats.

Laborers

A nearly 3,000-year-old carving shows religious ceremonies.

Laborers were employed by the government to erect buildings, establish roads, dig irrigation canals and improve city fortifications. Wealthy citizens also hired laborers for work on their properties. Among the laborer positions were stonecutters, masons, carpenters and smiths of various kinds to work on gold, copper and bronze.

Sculptors, potters and jewelers were kept gainfully employed making decorative artwork and practical items. Potters crafted containers, jugs and cookware, while jewelers cut gems and precious stones for both men and women. Weavers created fanciful clothes and blankets for the rich, sometimes copying styles worn by vanquished foes. The styles of the Medes, in what is now western Iran, were particularly popular.

Merchants

Persia was at a crossroads between Central Asia, the Middle East, Egypt and Greece. Traders imported gold, bronze, turquoise, lapis lazuli and silk.

Landlords

Wealthy Persians rented houses, shops and entire estates to those in need. Because the nobles controlled most of the land, rent could be high, sometimes more than an unskilled laborer's annual wage, but extended families would pool their resources to meet the landlords' demands.

Soldiers

Every male under the age of 50 could be forced to serve in the military in times of war or national emergency. This ensured a strong military, even though Persia did not have a large standing army. Only Persians or Medes were eligible to join the elite force known as the Immortals, whose number was routinely kept at 10,000 soldiers.

Slaves

Persian slaves were not drawn from their own people, but from conquered nations. A number of jobs that are highly valued today were actually performed by slaves in the first millennium B.C. Among these jobs were doctors, nurses and teachers, who were brought in from other advanced cultures, notably Egypt and Greece, to treat the sick and educate the young.

References

• Zoroastrian Kids

Resources

• Iran Online