---
title: Achaemenid Empire
author: Peter Davidson
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2022-10-07
---

# Achaemenid Empire

_Authored by Peter Davidson_

East of the Zagros Mountains, a high plateau stretches off towards [India](https://www.worldhistory.org/india/). While [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/) was rising up against the [Hyksos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hyksos/), a wave of pastoral tribes from north of the Caspian Sea was drifting down into this area and across into India. By the time the Assyrians had built their new [empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/), a second wave had covered the whole stretch between the Zagros and the [Hindu](https://www.worldhistory.org/hinduism/) [Kush](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kush/). Some tribes settled, others retained their semi-nomadic lifestyle. These were the Iranian peoples.

### Nomadic Tribes

Like all nomadic peoples lacking police and [law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/) courts, a code of honour was central to the Iranian tribes, and their religious beliefs differed from those of farming people. Whereas the farmers of Egypt and [Mesopotamia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamia/) had converted nature gods into [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) guardians, the Iranians had begun distilling them into a few universal principles. [Zoroaster](https://www.worldhistory.org/zoroaster/), who lived sometime around 1000 BCE, drove this process. For him, the only [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) was the creator, [Ahura Mazda](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ahura_Mazda/), bringer of *asha* – light, order, truth; the law or logic by which the world was structured. Even those who were not practising Zoroastrians grew up shaped by a [culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/culture/) that valued simple ethical ideas such as telling the truth.

#### Book Extract

 [![book-atlas-of-empires](https://www.worldhistory.org/template/files/text-replacements-images/book-atlas-of-empires.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/162008287X/ "Atlas of Empires")### Atlas of Empires

by Peter Davidson This article is an extract from the book *Atlas of Empires*, republished with permission. This book tells the story of how and why the great empires of history came into being, operated and ultimately declined, and discusses the future of the empire in today's globalized world. [Buy on Amazon](https://amzn.to/2x9l3u3) [Buy on Bookdepository](https://www.bookdepository.com/Atlas-Empires-Peter-Davidson/9781620082874?a_aid=ahe) 
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In some areas, one tribe would manage to gather a collection of other tribes under its leadership. The [Medes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Medes/) were one such. They built a capital at Ecbatana ('meeting place') in the eastern Zagros from where they extended their power. In 612 BCE, Cyaxares, King of the Medes, stormed [Nineveh](https://www.worldhistory.org/nineveh/) with the Chaldeans, after which he pushed into the north-west. In 585 BCE, the Medes were fighting the Lydians on the Halys river when a solar eclipse frightened both sides into making peace. Soon afterwards, Cyaxares died leaving an empire of sorts to his son Astyages (585–550 BCE).

One of the regions whose tribes paid tribute to the Medes was [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/), which lay south-east of Ecbatana, beyond [Elam](https://www.worldhistory.org/elam/). There were around 10 or 15 tribes in Persia, of which one was the [Pasargadae](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pasargadae/). The leader of the Pasargadae always came from the [Achaemenid](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Achaemenid/) clan, and, in 559 BCE, a new leader was chosen: [Cyrus II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cyrus_the_Great/) ('the Great').

### Cyrus II

We are told that Cyrus was the grandson of Astyages on his mother's side, but that did not stop him wanting to shake off the Median yoke. By 552 BCE, he had formed the Persian tribes into a federation and begun a series of uprisings. When the inevitable showdown with his grandfather came in 550 BCE, the Medes mutinied and joined Cyrus to march on Ecbatana.

Cyrus took the title 'Shah \['King'\] of Persia' and built a capital on the site of his victory, which he called Pasargadae, after his tribe. Winning the Medes over had landed Cyrus with a vague, sprawling empire of countless different peoples, however. He faced cultural diversity, suspicion, and outright hostility. [Lydia](https://www.worldhistory.org/lydia/) and Chaldean [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/) had agreements with the Medes; neither felt comfortable about a Persian takeover.

[ ![Tomb of Cyrus](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/264.jpg?v=1711511466) Tomb of Cyrus Sebastià Giralt (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/264/tomb-of-cyrus/ "Tomb of Cyrus")Lydia was won because Cyrus did not play by the rules. After an indecisive [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) near the Halys river one autumn, King [Croesus](https://www.worldhistory.org/croesus/) (c. 560 – c. 546 BCE) returned to [Sardis](https://www.worldhistory.org/sardis/), expecting to resume fighting in the spring according to custom. But Cyrus followed him home and captured Sardis itself, Lydia's capital and richest of the Ionian [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/). A century earlier, Lydia had minted the first coins, making [Ionia](https://www.worldhistory.org/ionia/) a hub of commerce. Now all this fell to Cyrus.

As for Croesus himself, it seems Cyrus may have spared his life, again against all precedent. Cyrus developed a reputation for sparing conquered rulers so he could ask their advice on how best to govern their lands. How much of this reputation was warranted is hard to know, but before Cyrus no one would have wanted it anyway; it would have been a sign of weakness.

### Empire of Many Nations

Cyrus, by contrast, saw cooperation as a strength, particularly when it came to securing the main prize: Babylon. Rather than trying to take the world's greatest city by force, Cyrus fought a propaganda campaign to exploit the unpopularity of its king, Nabonidus. Babylon's traditions would be safer with Cyrus, was the message. The gates were opened and palm fronds were laid before him as he entered the city.

Once in Babylon, Cyrus performed the religious ceremonies Nabonidus had neglected and returned confiscated icons to their temples around the country. These acts enabled Cyrus to claim legitimate rule in Babylon; rule sanctioned by the Babylonian gods. He then explained what place this would take in his empire; his would be an empire based, in effect, on a kind of contract between himself and the various peoples in his care. They would pay their tribute, and he would ensure all were free to worship their own gods and live according to their customs.

[ ![Empire of Cyrus the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/265.png?v=1711511469) Empire of Cyrus the Great SG (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/265/empire-of-cyrus-the-great/ "Empire of Cyrus the Great")The exiled Jews were allowed to go home and given money towards the building of a new [temple in Jerusalem](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/852/the-temple-in-jerusalem/). This earned Cyrus a glowing write-up in the [Old Testament](https://www.worldhistory.org/Old_Testament/) as well as providing him with a useful buffer state against Egypt. Cyrus's multiculturalism made an enduring imperial peace a real possibility at last and defined the way later empires sought to achieve stable rule. It was obvious to Cyrus that this was the only way he could hope to hold on to his conquests, but his was a vision only someone from outside the civilizations of the river valleys, with their intense attachments to local gods, could have conceived.

### King of Kings

Cyrus's son and successor [Cambyses II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cambyses_II/) (529–522 BCE) added Egypt to the [Persian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Persian_Empire/), but then a revolt broke out at home, led, it seems, by a Median priest posing as Cambyses's brother, whom Cambyses had secretly murdered. Cambyses hurried back but died on the way, leaving one of his generals, a distant relative, to step in. His name was [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/). [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) ('the Great') killed the pretender to the throne, but uprisings were now breaking out all over, and he found himself having to re-establish Cyrus's conquests. Backed by the army and the noble clans of Persia, grown rich from imperial rule, Darius regained the Empire and extended it into the [Indus Valley](https://www.worldhistory.org/Indus_Valley_Civilization/), a prize worth several times more in tribute than Babylon.

Darius realized that if the empire were to work, it needed efficient organization. He divided it into 20 satrapies, or provinces, each paying a fixed rate of tribute to Persia. Each satrapy was run by a centrally appointed [satrap](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persian_Governor/), or governor, often related to Darius. To prevent the satrap building a power base, Darius appointed a separate military commander answerable only to him. Imperial spies known as the 'king's ears' kept tabs on both and reported back to Darius through the postal service – the empire was connected by a network of roads along which couriers could change horses at stations spaced a day's travel apart.

Darius took much of this structure from the Assyrians, simply applying it on a larger scale, but his use of tribute was something new. Previously, tribute had been essentially protection money paid to avoid trouble, but Darius treated it as tax. He used it to build a navy and embarked on massive public-spending programmes, pumping money into irrigation works, mineral exploration, roads, and a canal between the [Nile](https://www.worldhistory.org/nile/) and the Red Sea.

[ ![Ranks of Immortals](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/85.jpg?v=1776882495) Ranks of Immortals dynamosquito (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/85/ranks-of-immortals/ "Ranks of Immortals")He also established a common currency, which made working far from home much easier. Darius now brought together teams of craftsmen from all over the Empire to build, under the direction of Persian architects, an imperial capital at [Persepolis](https://www.worldhistory.org/persepolis/). Here he could keep his [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/) and [silver](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silver/) in a [giant](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giants/) vault (which soon became too small) and show off the multi-ethnic scope of his empire. Persepolis became a display case for the artistic styles of just about every culture within the empire, held in a frame of Persian design. It was a visualization of Cyrus's idea of empire.

But Darius never acknowledged Cyrus. He seems to have had a chip on his shoulder about not belonging to Cyrus's branch of the Achaemenid clan. As he outstripped Cyrus's achievements, he began to carry himself in an ever more exalted manner, dropping the title Shah for the grander Shahanshah ('King of Kings'). Like Persepolis, however, this followed directly from Cyrus's vision. Cyrus had played the part of Babylon's king when he entered the city, but his concept of empire demanded a ruler who stood above all kings linked to the interests of any one community. It required a king of kings.

### Humiliation & Decadence

Darius's later rule saw trouble in the [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/). In 499 BCE there was a [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) revolt in Ionia. After eventually quashing it, Darius's fleet sailed to punish [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/) for backing the rebels, only to encounter a surprise defeat. If the Persian administrative machine were not to look dangerously weak, the Greeks would have to be taught a lesson. But when Darius raised taxes to fund a rearmament drive, he provoked unrest in more important areas such as Egypt.

It fell to Darius's son [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) (486–465 BCE) to restore order in Egypt and take up the Greek question. [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) carried himself more loftily still than Darius and, with two great empire builders to follow, had even more to prove. But he lacked their cultural sensitivity. When tax increases produced riots in Babylon in 482 BCE, Xerxes sacked the city, destroyed the [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/), and melted down the solid gold statue of [Marduk](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marduk/), three times the size of a man. With it went Babylon's greatness.

Marduk's gold allowed Xerxes to begin assembling his forces to crush the Greeks in 480 BCE. Forced into battle too soon, however, he suffered a worse humiliation than his father. After that, Xerxes seems largely to have withdrawn into the luxury of his court and harem. When Cyrus entered Babylon he had aped the behaviour of a Mesopotamian king for public consumption, but now the private lives of Persian rulers took Mesopotamian form. Shut up in opulent isolation, the later Achaemenids played out an increasingly gaudy pantomime of harem intrigue and [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) assassination.

[ ![Achaemenid Silver Drinking Bowl](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/4826.jpg?v=1711511526) Achaemenid Silver Drinking Bowl Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4826/achaemenid-silver-drinking-bowl/ "Achaemenid Silver Drinking Bowl")The empire Cyrus and Darius had built was strong enough to weather this slide into decadence for 200 years, but gradually it took its toll. Satraps carved out their own islands of power. Inflation began to bite as taxes kept rising. Even the multiculturalism of the empire, initially its great strength, had its drawbacks; the huge army was a bewildering ragbag of troops all trained and equipped according to their own traditions, all speaking different languages.

In 401 BCE, Cyrus the Younger, Satrap of Lydia, [Phrygia](https://www.worldhistory.org/phrygia/), and Cappadocia, staged a coup against his brother [Artaxerxes II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Artaxerxes_II/) (404–358 BCE) with the help of 10,000 Greek mercenaries who returned home when the coup failed. The information they brought back paved the way for the triumphant arrival of [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) in 334 BCE.

Persia had been the first real empire, an empire with an organizational structure developed from a realistic idea of how to govern different subject peoples. It defined the role of an emperor and set a template for future empires from the Romans to the British. When [Alexander](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Alexander/) came to replace the dying Persian Empire with a vision of his own, he held the example of Cyrus in the front of his mind.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Bibliography

- [Davidson, Peter. *Atlas of Empires.* CompanionHouse Books, 2018.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/162008287X/)

## Timeline

- **c. 7200 BCE**: [Elamite](https://www.worldhistory.org/elam/) community of Chogha Bonut established.
- **4395 BCE**: [City](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of [Susa](https://www.worldhistory.org/susa/) founded in region of ancient [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **c. 3000 BCE**: [Aryan](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aryan/) tribes of Indo-Iranians migrate to the region, among them are Persians.
- **c. 1500 BCE - c. 1000 BCE**: Development of the [religion](https://www.worldhistory.org/religion/) of [Zoroastrianism](https://www.worldhistory.org/zoroastrianism/) in region of ancient [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **c. 1000 BCE**: [Scythians](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythians/) migrate from [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) into the Asian steppes.
- **850 BCE**: [Medes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Medes/) migrate into Iran from Asia.
- **750 BCE**: Persians migrate into Iran from Asia.
- **727 BCE - 675 BCE**: [Medes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Medes/) unite during the reign of their king Dayukku (aka Deioces).
- **675 BCE - 640 BCE**: Persians settle in [Persis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persis/) during the reign of their king Teispes.
- **628 BCE - 551 BCE**: Life of [Zoroaster](https://www.worldhistory.org/zoroaster/), according to Pahlavi sources.
- **553 BCE**: [Cyrus the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cyrus_the_Great/) successfully rebels against the [Medes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Medes/) and establishes the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **c. 550 BCE**: [Cyrus the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cyrus_the_Great/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) founds the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/).
- **c. 550 BCE - 330 BCE**: The Persian [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) reigns over Central Asia, [Mesopotamia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamia/), [Anatolia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/), and [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/).
- **547 BCE**: [Anatolia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/) conquered by the Persians. [Ephesos](https://www.worldhistory.org/ephesos/) remains neutral.
- **547 BCE**: [Phrygia](https://www.worldhistory.org/phrygia/) becomes a Satrapy of the [Persian empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Persian_Empire/).
- **546 BCE**: The Persians occupy [Cyprus](https://www.worldhistory.org/cyprus/), being invited by Cypriot leaders.
- **539 BCE**: Fall of [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/), conquered by [Cyrus](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Cyrus/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/). Return of the Jews.
- **c. 539 BCE**: [Cyrus the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cyrus_the_Great/) conquers [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/); the [Fertile Crescent](https://www.worldhistory.org/Fertile_Crescent/) is controlled by the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) (The First [Persian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Persian_Empire/)).
- **530 BCE**: [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) conquers the [Indus Valley](https://www.worldhistory.org/Indus_Valley_Civilization/).
- **530 BCE - 522 BCE**: Reign of [Cambyses II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cambyses_II/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **525 BCE - 404 BCE**: [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) conquers [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/).
- **522 BCE**: [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) ([Darius the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/)) succeeds to the throne of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) after the [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) of [Cambyses II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cambyses_II/).
- **522 BCE**: The Persian satrapy of [Armenia](https://www.worldhistory.org/armenia/) briefly cedes from the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) but is brought under control by [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/).
- **520 BCE**: [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) fights the [Scythians](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythians/) (not very successfully).
- **c. 520 BCE - c. 325 CE**: [Achaemenid](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Achaemenid/) rule in the [Gandhara](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gandhara_Civilization/) region.
- **c. 515 BCE**: [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) moves the capital of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) from [Pasargadae](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pasargadae/) to [Persepolis](https://www.worldhistory.org/persepolis/).
- **c. 513 BCE - c. 512 BCE**: [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) campaigns against [Scythians](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythians/) into European [Scythia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythians/), past the Danube River, Scythians refuse to fight and [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/) is forced to abandon the campaign due to lack of provisions.
- **c. 499 BCE**: [Naxos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Naxos/) is attacked by [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/)' Persian forces.
- **499 BCE - 493 BCE**: Ionian [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) rebel against Persian rule.
- **c. 498 BCE**: Ionians and [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) allies invade and burn [Sardis](https://www.worldhistory.org/sardis/) (capital of [Lydia](https://www.worldhistory.org/lydia/)).
- **492 BCE**: [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) invades [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/).
- **490 BCE**: [Rhodes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rhodes/) comes under Persian rule.
- **490 BCE**: [Naxos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Naxos/) is attacked for a second time by Persian forces.
- **11 Sep 490 BCE**: A combined force of [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) hoplites defeat the Persians at [Marathon](https://www.worldhistory.org/marathon/).
- **486 BCE**: [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) succeeds to the throne of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) after the [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) of [Darius I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Darius_I/).
- **485 BCE**: [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/) is destroyed by [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/), King of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **485 BCE - 465 BCE**: Reign of [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) (the Great) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **480 BCE**: Persians destroy the sanctuary at [Sounion](https://www.worldhistory.org/sounion/).
- **480 BCE**: Sack of [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/) by the Persians under [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/). The [Agora](https://www.worldhistory.org/agora/) is destroyed.
- **480 BCE**: Persian forces attack the sanctuary of [Delphi](https://www.worldhistory.org/delphi/).
- **Jul 480 BCE**: [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) makes extensive preparations to invade mainland [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/) by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the Hellespont.
- **Aug 480 BCE**: The indecisive [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) of Artemision between the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) and Persian fleets of [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/). The Greeks withdraw to [Salamis](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Salamis/).
- **Aug 480 BCE**: [Battle of Thermopylae](https://www.worldhistory.org/thermopylae/). 300 Spartans under King [Leonidas](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Leonidas/) and other [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) allies hold back the Persians led by [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) for three days but are defeated.
- **Sep 480 BCE**: [Battle of Salamis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_of_Salamis/) where the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) naval fleet led by [Themistocles](https://www.worldhistory.org/Themistocles/) defeats the invading armada of [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **479 BCE**: [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/)' Persian forces are defeated by [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) forces at [Plataea](https://www.worldhistory.org/Plataea/) effectively ending [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/)'s imperial ambitions in [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/).
- **478 BCE**: [Sparta](https://www.worldhistory.org/sparta/) withdraws from alliance against [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **c. 478 BCE**: [Xerxes I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/) builds the Gate of All Nations, the Hall of 100 Columns and the grand [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) of [Xerxes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Xerxes_I/).
- **c. 449 BCE**: Peace is agreed on by [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/) and [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/), sometimes referred to as the [Peace of Callias](https://www.worldhistory.org/Peace_of_Callias/).
- **c. 449 BCE**: Ionian [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) become independent from [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) under the [Peace of Callias](https://www.worldhistory.org/Peace_of_Callias/).
- **412 BCE**: [Sparta](https://www.worldhistory.org/sparta/) allies with [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **401 BCE**: Retreat from [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) of [Xenophon](https://www.worldhistory.org/xenophon/) and the ten thousand mercenaries.
- **c. 380 BCE - 330 BCE**: Life of [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/) III of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **341 BCE**: The Persians complete [conquest](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) of [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/).
- **c. 336 BCE**: Artaxerxes III builds the Hall of 32 Columns, the [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) of Artaxerxes and the Unfinished Gate.
- **May 334 BCE**: [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) invades the Persian [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/).
- **5 Nov 333 BCE**: [Battle of Issus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_of_Issus/). [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) is victorious against [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/) III of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **331 BCE**: [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/) is conquered by [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) without resistance.
- **1 Oct 331 BCE**: [Battle of Gaugamela](https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_of_Gaugamela/). [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) calls himself "King of Asia."
- **330 BCE**: Persian [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) falls to [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/).
- **330 BCE**: [Death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) of [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/) III and end of the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/) of [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **May 330 BCE**: [Persepolis](https://www.worldhistory.org/persepolis/) is burned and looted by [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/).
- **Jan 329 BCE - May 327 BCE**: [Alexander](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Alexander/) conquers [Bactria](https://www.worldhistory.org/Bactria/) and [Sogdiana](https://www.worldhistory.org/sogdiana/).
- **312 BCE - 63 BCE**: The [Seleucid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Seleucid_Empire/) replaces the [Achaemenid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/).
- **247 BCE - 224 BCE**: [Parthia](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Parthia/) replaces the [Seleucid Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Seleucid_Empire/).
- **247 BCE - 224 CE**: [Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/) of the Parthians.
- **63 BCE**: The [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) general [Pompey](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/) defeats the [Seleucid](https://www.worldhistory.org/Seleucid_Empire/) Antiochus XIII and incorporates [Syria](https://www.worldhistory.org/syria/) as a province of the [Roman empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/).
- **224 CE**: [Zoroastrianism](https://www.worldhistory.org/zoroastrianism/) becomes Persian state [religion](https://www.worldhistory.org/religion/) under the [Sassanian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/).
- **224 CE**: Sasanians overthrow the Parthians.
- **224 CE - 651 CE**: The [Sassanian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) replaces the [Parthian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Parthia_(Empire)/).
- **240 CE - 270 CE**: Reign of [Shapur I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Shapur_I/), who first brought the [Sassanian empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) to its peak.
- **260 CE**: [Shapur I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Shapur_I/) captures the [Roman emperor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Emperor/) [Valerian](https://www.worldhistory.org/valerian/) at [Edessa](https://www.worldhistory.org/edessa/).
- **607 CE - 627 CE**: East [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) defeats [Sasanian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/).
- **651 CE**: [Sassanian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) conquered during the Muslim Arab invasion of the 7th century CE.

## Questions & Answers

### What was the Achaemenid Empire known for?
The Achaemenid Persian Empire is famous for effectively creating an empire of many nations and cultures, giving each conquered culture a reasonable amount of autonomy and self-governance in the form of semi-independent provinces called satrapies. The empire is also famous for fighting the Greek city-states in the Greco-Persian Wars and for being ultimately conquered by Alexander the Great. 

### Who defeated the Achaemenid Empire?
Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BCE after a series of decisive Macedonian victories at the battles of Issus (333 BCE) and Gaugamela (331 BCE). Alexander was briefly King of Kings until his death in 323 BCE, when he was succeeded by Seleucos I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Empire of Persia.


## External Links

- [The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 B.C.) | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/acha/hd_acha.htm)
- [Long live the King… of Kings! Accession ritual in ancient Persia | British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/long-live-king-kings-accession-ritual-ancient-persia)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Davidson, P. (2011, May 11). Achaemenid Empire. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid\_Empire/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/)
### Chicago
Davidson, Peter. "Achaemenid Empire." *World History Encyclopedia*, May 11, 2011. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid\_Empire/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/).
### MLA
Davidson, Peter. "Achaemenid Empire." *World History Encyclopedia*, 11 May 2011, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid\_Empire/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Achaemenid_Empire/).

## License & Copyright

Edited excerpt of [Atlas of Empires](/books/1847730647/) by Peter Davidson. ©2011 New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. Republished with permission. Original definition by **Peter Davidson**. Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 11 May 2011. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.