Leaopard Hilt Persian Dagger  SBA-PERSIANDAGGER   $49  Out of Stock    Contrary to some popular depictions, the Persian Empire was one of the most forward thinking regimes in history. Yes, they conquered and subjugated many other civilizations. Yes they enslaved some people. And yes, they have a very fluffy breed of cats named after them, but the Persians generally had a "hands off" approach to those they conquered; the Persians usually allowed the conquered civilizations to rule themselves, provided that they paid tribute to Persian Emperor. Sounds a bit unfair, but it was a far better deal than what most conquering civilizations in history offered to their defeated opponents. When most people refer to the Persian Empire, they are typically referring to the empire founded by Cyrus the Great, father of the vilified-as-of-late Emperor Xerxes. This was the empire that clashed so memorably with Greece. This was the empire that was bottled up at Thermopylae. They attacked again (The empire strikes back?) at Plataea and were trounced decisively. Later, Phillip of Macedonia and his son Alexander (yes, THAT Alexander) took advantage of the Persians' vulnerability to the Greek phalanx and toppled the mighty Persian empire in only eight years. Despite it's eventual downfall, the Persians held a series of mighty empires for 300 years. At its height, their empire stretched across most of Asia, throughout the Middle East and down into Africa. The Persian Empire was known for many things, including its superb fighting men and the quality of its merchandise. Persian items, particularly their early scientific instruments, were know to be of the highest quality. Their weapons and armor were also known to have very artistic flare and much detail to them. Persian Leopards The Persian leopard is one of the largest and deadliest of the various leopard species. It makes its home in rugged, rocky, temperate terrains, stalking its prey silently and striking swiftly, in an explosion of huge claws and lethal fangs. The leopard strikes with its claws first, dragging its prey down to the ground, then sinks its teeth into the prey's throat, tearing out the flesh in a glorious spray of blo... ahem... sorry. Got a bit carried away there. Anyway, the Persian leopard is native to Western Asia as well as large chunks of the Middle East.