The Achaemenid dynasty was the royal house of ancient Persia, named after Achaemenes, an ancestor in whose name later kings traced their descent. Under Cyrus the Great, who defeated the Medes, Lydia and Babylon, the family created what is often called the first world empire, stretching from Anatolia and Egypt to Central Asia and the Indus valley. Darius I organized it into provinces called satrapies, built the Royal Road and began the great palace complex at Persepolis, while his son Xerxes led a failed invasion of Greece. The empire was known for relative tolerance toward the customs and religions of its subjects. It was conquered by Alexander the Great, and the last Achaemenid king, Darius III, was killed in 330 BCE.
Before and after
- from c. 860s BCE to 590s BCEUrartu
- from c. 818 BCE to 715 BCETwenty-third Dynasty of Egypt
- from c. 814 BCE to 146 BCEAncient Carthage
- from c. 808 BCE to 167 BCEMacedonia
- from 9th century BCE to 4th century BCEAchaemenid dynasty
- 9th century BCEConstruction of Roman Forum
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- from c. 800 BCE to 800 CEHerrera Period
- c. 782 BCEOrigins of Yerevan
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,200 BCEIron Age
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- 6th century BCEConstruction of Parthenon
- 81 CEConstruction of Colosseum
- 11 May 330 CEConstantine dedicates Constantinople
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.