Persian Mythology: Did you mean...?

Amastris (c. 340/39-285 BCE) was a niece of the Persian king Darius III (r. 336-330 BCE) through her father Oxyathres. She was married in succession to Alexander's general Craterus, the tyrant Dionysius of Heraclea, and finally to Lysimachus...

In the Persian Empire, some regional governors (satraps) were authorized to issue coins for military purposes. They combine Persian and Greek imagery, showing a satrap's head and a local reverse image. These are some of the earliest coin...

In the Persian Empire, some regional governors (satraps) were authorized to issue coins for military purposes. They combine Persian and Greek imagery, showing a strap's head and a local reverse image. These are some of the earliest coin portraits...

Garshasp kills the dragon, illustration from the Shahnameh, Sultanate of Delhi, c. 1450. Rietberg Museum, Zürich.

Scene from Shahnameh: Rustam (or Rustum) shoots Isfandiyar in the eyes with a double-pointed arrow, from manuscript Ms. or. fol. 4251, Berlin State Library

This text is part of an article series on the Delian League. The modern term Delian League refers to the primarily maritime συμμᾰχία or symmachy (offensive-defensive alliance) among various Greek poleis, which emerged after the second Mede...

The Behistun Inscription is a relief with accompanying text carved 330 feet (100 meters) up a cliff in Kermanshah Province, Western Iran. The work tells the story of the victory of the Persian king Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) over...

Persian miniature painting on a tile, earthenware under coloured glazes, probably from Isfahan, 17th century CE. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The so-called 'garden scenes' are among the most typical settings in the Persian literary...

The Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE) was the first great Persian political entity in Western and Central Asia which stretched, at its peak, from Asia Minor to the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia through Egypt. It was founded by Cyrus II (the...

The Achaemenid Persian Empire emerged in the mid-6th century BCE when Cyrus II (reign 559–530 BCE) united the Persian tribes and overthrew the Median kingdom (c. 550 BCE), establishing a new imperial state that would reshape the political...