Here are a few excerpts about the values of the ancient Persian Empire from Herodotus’ Histories.
"Their sons are carefully instructed from their fifth to
their twentieth year, in three things alone, - to ride, to draw the bow, and to
speak the truth."
"To my mind it is a wise rule, as also is the following -
that the king shall not put any one to death for a single fault, and that none
of the Persians shall visit a single fault in a slave with any extreme penalty;
but in every case the services of the offender shall be set against his
misdoings; and, if the latter be found to outweigh the former, the aggrieved
party shall then proceed to punishment."
"They hold it unlawful to talk to anything which it is
unlawful to do. The most disgraceful thing in the world, they think, is to tell
a lie; the next worst, to owe a debt: because, among other reasons, the debtor
is obliged to tell lies."
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