> [!quote] [[What was the ancient Persian relationship with other Iranian peoples]] > > In general, it doesn't seem like the Persians had an idea of "barbarians" in the pejorative sense. There were Iranians and non-Iranians (_An-Aryans_) but plenty of non-Iranians like Babylon or Egypt were highly respected while the nomadic Saka and bandit hill tribes were still considered Iranian. > > So far, everything I've said might give a sense of Persian-supremacy. I don't want to over-emphasize that. Moreso than their Iranianness, Achaemenid ideology stressed their right to rule as Ahura Mazda's chosen king's and their dynastic legitimacy. Ahura Mazda is referenced in almost every inscription more than a sentence long and by the time of Artaxerxes III he was listing out all his paternal ancestors for 7 generations. Royal monuments routinely declare some version of "Ahura Mazda created the earth and gave it to [King]." There's no evidence to suggest that Iranians faced any more hostility as a result outside of rare religious disputes.