The Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, was the first Persian empire and at its height the largest empire the world had yet seen, stretching from the Balkans and Egypt in the west to the Indus Valley in the east. Ruled from a succession of capitals, including Pasargadae, Susa, Ecbatana and the ceremonial city of Persepolis, it organized its territory into provinces called satrapies under a common administrative and legal framework and built the Royal Road to connect them. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in its entirety by 330 BC, ending two centuries of Achaemenid rule.
Facts
Government Type CapitalPasargadae, later Susa, Ecbatana and the ceremonial capital Persepolis 1 Government type (class) Classification
Status (Extant or Former) Connections
Associated With
In Era
Why this is disputed. Classical antiquity periodization is usually centered on Greece and Rome, but historians commonly include the Achaemenid Empire as the major contemporary Near Eastern power shaping and shaped by the classical world.
Preceded By
Source Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire
Related To
Source Wikipedia: Achaemenid Empire
Resulted From
Additional Source Wikipedia: Wars of Alexander the GreatPersis subsection, fall of the Achaemenid Empire
Ruled By
Alexander conquered and assumed kingship of the Achaemenid realm in 330 BC, though his rule was brief and the empire fragmented among his successors after his death in 323 BC.
Source Wikipedia: Achaemenid Empire
Source Wikipedia: Achaemenid Empire
Additional Source Darius the Great (Wikipedia)Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)
Additional Source Xerxes I (Wikipedia)Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Society and Culture Atlas: Monarchy, government type there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Achaemenid Empire
WikipediaLead section
uh-KEE-muh-nid (ASCII respelling of the article's IPA pronunciation guide)
Infobox
Monarchy
Fall to Alexander III of Macedon section
In 330 BC, amidst a Greek military campaign that began in 336 BC, the Achaemenid Empire was conquered in its entirety by Alexander the Great
The Achaemenid Empire: Status
The Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, was the first Persian empire and at its height the largest empire the world had yet seen, stretching from the Balkans and Egypt in the west to the Indus Valley in the east.
View the Source Wikipedia: Wars of Alexander the Great
WikipediaResulted From: Wars of Alexander the Great, Persis subsection, fall of the Achaemenid EmpireQuote, Resulted From: Wars of Alexander the Great, Persis subsection, fall of the Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Persian Empire is considered to have fallen with the death of Darius.
Xerxes I (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationRuled By: Xerxes I, Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)Quote, Ruled By: Xerxes I, Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)
Xerxes I (c. 518 BC - 465 BC) was a Persian ruler who reigned as the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC.
Darius the Great (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationRuled By: Darius the Great, Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)Quote, Ruled By: Darius the Great, Lead section (edge: ruled Achaemenid Empire)
Darius I ... was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE.
Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the Achaemenid Empire come to an end?
Alexander the Great conquered it entirely by 330 BC.
The Achaemenid Empire ended through conquest by Alexander the Great. His Greek military campaign began in 336 BC, and by 330 BC the empire had been conquered in its entirety, closing about two centuries of rule that had begun with Cyrus the Great in 550 BC.
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