Persia
 波斯


 Persia
      n 1: an empire in southern Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the
           6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in
           the 4th century BC [syn: Persian Empire]
      2: a theocratic islamic republic in the Middle East in western
         Asia; Iran was the core of the ancient empire that was
         known as Persia until 1935; rich in oil; involved in
         state-sponsored terrorism [syn: Iran, {Islamic Republic
         of Iran]


 Persia
    an ancient empire, extending from the Indus to Thrace, and from
    the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The
    Persians were originally a Medic tribe which settled in Persia,
    on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf. They were Aryans, their
    language belonging to the eastern division of the Indo-European
    group. One of their chiefs, Teispes, conquered Elam in the time
    of the decay of the Assyrian Empire, and established himself in
    the district of Anzan. His descendants branched off into two
    lines, one line ruling in Anzan, while the other remained in
    Persia. Cyrus II., king of Anzan, finally united the divided
    power, conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylonia, and carried his
    arms into the far East. His son, Cambyses, added Egypt to the
    empire, which, however, fell to pieces after his death. It was
    reconquered and thoroughly organized by Darius, the son of
    Hystaspes, whose dominions extended from India to the Danube.



 Persia, that cuts or divides; a nail; a gryphon; a horseman