The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the largest empire by that point in history, spanning a total of . The empire spanned from the Balkans and Egypt in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east.
Around the 7th century BC, the region of Persis in the southwestern portion of the Iranian plateau was settled by the Persians. Cyrus conquered the Medes as well as Lydia and the Neo-Babylonian Empire, marking the establishment of a new imperial polity under the Achaemenid dynasty.
In the modern era, the Achaemenid Empire has been recognized for its imposition of a successful model of centralized bureaucratic administration, its policy of tolerance, building complex infrastructure such as road systems and an organized postal system, the use of official languages across its territories, and the development of civil services, including a large, professional army. Its advancements inspired the implementation of similar styles of governance by a variety of later empires.
Pre-Imperial Kings AchaemenesFirst ruler of the Achaemenid kingdom and founder of the dynasty. Attested to only by the Behistun Inscription.705 BCTeispesSon of Achaemenes. Attested to only by the Behistun Inscription.640 BCCyrus ISon of Teispes, first Achaemenid ruler with attestation.580 BCCambyses ISon of Cyrus I and father of Cyrus II. No records from his reign survive.550 BC
List of Emperors NameImageCommentsDatesCyrus IITransformed the dynasty into an empire, conquering Babylon and Lydia; King of the "four corners of the world".560–530 BCCambyses IIKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt530–522 BCGaumataKing of Persia, allegedly an impostor named Gaumata.522 BCDarius IKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt. Allegedly cousin of Cambyses II and Bardiya.522–486 BCXerxes IKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt486–465 BCArtaxerxes IKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt465–424 BCXerxes IIKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt. Assassinated by his half-brother and successor, Sogdianus.424 BC (45 days)SogdianusKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt424–423 BCDarius IIKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt. His birth name was Ochus.423–405 BCArtaxerxes IIKing of Persia. Ruling for 47 years, Artaxerxes II was the longest reigning Achaemenid king. His birth name was Arses.405–358 BCArtaxerxes IIIKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt, having re-conquered the land after it was lost during the reign of Artaxerxes II. His birth name was Ochus.358–338 BCArtaxerxes IVKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt. His birth name was Arses.338–336 BCDarius IIIKing of Persia in addition to Pharaoh of Egypt; last ruler of the empire. His birth name was either Artashata or Codomannus.336–330 BC
Timeline of Emperors
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