What are the prescribed sources for the Persian Empire study, and how do you use Greek and Persian evidence together?
The prescribed sources for the Persian Empire period study: Herodotus as the main Greek literary narrative (and its problems), and the Persian material evidence (the Cyrus Cylinder, the Behistun inscription and the Persepolis reliefs), and how to weigh one kind against the other.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Persian Empire period study, explaining how to use Herodotus as the main Greek literary narrative (and the problems of a later, pro-Greek, moralising author) alongside the Persian material evidence (the Cyrus Cylinder, the Behistun inscription and the Persepolis reliefs), and how to weigh Greek against Persian sources.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR's GCSE is an ancient-history course, so it prescribes the ancient sources you must study and questions you on them directly. For the Persian Empire period study, the prescribed evidence falls into two kinds: Herodotus, the main Greek literary narrative, and a set of Persian material sources (the Cyrus Cylinder, the Behistun inscription, the Persepolis reliefs). This page teaches the skill the whole course rewards: knowing what each source is, what it is valuable for, and how to weigh Greek against Persian evidence.
The answer
Herodotus: the main literary source and its problems
The exam never wants Herodotus retold as fact: it wants you to use him as evidence while flagging what he is.
The Persian material sources
All three are royal propaganda, which is exactly why they are valuable: they show how Persian kingship wished to be seen.
Weighing Greek against Persian evidence
A strong answer always asks "valuable for what?" rather than ruling a source simply reliable or biased.
Examples in context
A model answer turns each source's limitations into evidence and judges value for the specific enquiry.
Try this
Q1. Name the three prescribed Persian material sources for this period and the king each is most associated with. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The Cyrus Cylinder (Cyrus), the Behistun inscription (Darius) and the Persepolis reliefs (Darius and his successors).
Q2. Explain why a propaganda source such as the Behistun inscription can still be useful to a historian. [Short source evaluation]
- Cue. Because it is strong evidence of Persian royal ideology and the official version of events: it shows how the king wished to present himself and his rule, which is exactly what a study of Persian kingship needs, even though it is one-sided.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/01 20208 marksStudy Source A (Herodotus) and Source B (the Behistun inscription). Which source is more useful to a historian studying the Persian kings? Explain your answer. [8-mark source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A Section A source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance, not just bias.
Herodotus. A full literary narrative, vivid and wide-ranging, but Greek, written about a century later, dependent on informants and given to moralising; useful for the sweep of events and Greek attitudes.
Behistun. The king's own contemporary monument, invaluable for Persian royal ideology and the official version of events, but self-justifying and one-sided.
Judgement. Conclude that each is more useful for different enquiries (Herodotus for the narrative and Greek view, Behistun for royal ideology), so usefulness depends on the question. The top level judges value for a stated enquiry rather than picking a "winner" in the abstract.
OCR J198/01 20225 marksStudy the Cyrus Cylinder. What does this source suggest about Persian royal ideology? [5-mark source-inference question]Show worked answer →
A Section A source-inference question (AO3) on a prescribed Persian source.
Make inferences. The Cylinder presents the king as chosen and favoured by the local god (Marduk), as a restorer of temples and order, and as a liberator rather than a conqueror.
Support each point. Tie inferences to detail: the claim to enter Babylon peacefully, to restore cults and return displaced peoples shows an ideology of legitimate, pious, merciful kingship.
Top marks. Two or three developed inferences linked to the source, noting that it is royal propaganda and therefore strong evidence for ideology specifically.
Related dot points
- The rise of Cyrus the Great and the foundation of the Persian empire: the conquest of Media, the defeat of Croesus of Lydia and the capture of Babylon, and how the Cyrus Cylinder presents his policy towards conquered peoples.
A focused answer to the rise of Cyrus the Great in OCR's GCSE Persian Empire period study, covering the conquest of Media, the defeat of Croesus of Lydia and the capture of Babylon, the policy of conciliation advertised by the Cyrus Cylinder, and how to read Herodotus as the main source for the founding of the empire.
- Cambyses and the conquest of Egypt, the succession crisis after his death, and the accession of Darius I, studied through Herodotus Book 3 and the Behistun inscription, with the contradiction between the two accounts of how Darius took power.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on Cambyses and the accession of Darius I, covering the conquest of Egypt in 525 BC, Herodotus's hostile portrait of the mad king, the succession crisis after Cambyses's death, and how Herodotus and the Behistun inscription give contradicting accounts of how Darius came to the throne.
- The reign of Darius I and the administration of the empire: the satrapy system, tribute and taxation, the Royal Road and communications, the king's ideology and the building programme at Persepolis and Susa as expressions of royal power.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the administration of the Persian empire under Darius I, covering the satrapy system, tribute and taxation, the Royal Road and the king's messengers, royal ideology and the building programmes at Persepolis and Susa, and how the Persepolis reliefs present subject peoples and royal power.
- The accession of Xerxes and his great invasion of Greece in 480 BC: the bridging of the Hellespont and the canal at Athos, the battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium, Salamis and Plataea, and the reasons for the Persian failure, studied through Herodotus Book 7.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the invasion of Greece by Xerxes in 480 BC, covering his preparations and the bridging of the Hellespont, Thermopylae and Artemisium, the decisive sea battle of Salamis and the land battle of Plataea, and why the great Persian invasion failed, studied through Herodotus Book 7.
- The AO3 source skills: making supported inferences from a source, comparing two sources, and judging how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and contextual knowledge, rather than labelling a source reliable or biased.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the AO3 source questions, explaining how to make supported inferences, compare two sources, and judge how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance and contextual knowledge, with a method that transfers across the Greek and Roman options.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Herodotus, Histories (Perseus Digital Library) — Perseus Digital Library