persis

Persis is an ancient region in southwestern Iran, corresponding roughly to the modern Iranian province of Fars. It is traditionally regarded as the homeland of the Persian people and the central heartland from which the Achaemenid Empire emerged.

Geography and archaeology: Persis lies in the highlands and plains of the southwest Iranian plateau, with its core associated with the valleys around Pasargadae and Persepolis. The region contains several important archaeological sites, including Pasargadae, the tomb of Cyrus the Great, and Persepolis, the ceremonial capital built under the Achaemenid kings in the 6th–5th centuries BCE.

History: Persis is closely tied to the rise of the Persian empire. Cyrus II is said to have originated from this region and overthrew the Median kingdom to found the Achaemenid Dynasty. His successors established a vast empire centered on Persis as its core homeland. Persepolis and other sites in Persis symbolize the administrative and cultural heart of the empire. Throughout subsequent periods—Hellenistic, Parthian, and Sasanian—the region remained an influential cultural center, and its name became associated with the broader notion of Persia.

Etymology and modern usage: The name Persis is the Latinized form of the Old Persian Pars. The region gave rise to the exonym Persia for the wider realm and to the term Persian for its peoples and language. In contemporary usage, Persis largely corresponds to the area of modern Fars Province in Iran, where the legacy of the Persian empires is most enduring.

See also: Pars, Pars Province, Persepolis, Pasargadae, Achaemenid Empire.