Achaemenid

The Achaemenid dynasty (. At the height of their power, around 500 BC, the Achaemenid rulers of Persia ruled over territories roughly encompassing parts of today's Iran , Iraq , Armenia , Afghanistan , Turkey , Bulgaria , small part of Greece , Egypt , Syria , much of what is now Pakistan , Jordan , Israel / Palestine , Lebanon , Caucasia , Central Asia , Arabia , Libya and north western Indian Subcontinent . Darius The Great (Darius I) was the first to speak of Achaemenes , who he claimed was an ancestor of Cyrus The Great (Cyrus II), ca. 576 - 529 BC ), and therefore the progenitor of the entire line of Achaemenid rulers. However, some scholars hold that Achaemenes was a fictional character used to legitimize Darius' rule, and that Darius I usurped the Persian throne. In any case, the name ''Achaemenid'' has been commonly accepted for the line of Persian kings beginning at least with Darius I. When the name refers to the entire line of early Persian rulers, including Cyrus II and his son Cambyses, the Achaemenid era stretches from about 650 to 330 BC. At different times, the Achaemenids also ruled Egypt , although the Egyptians twice regained their independence from Persia. After the practice of Manetho , Egyptian historians refer to the period in Egypt when the Achaemenid dynasty ruled as the Twenty-Seventh ( 525 BC - 404 BC ) and Thirty-First Dynasties ( 343 - 332 BC ). The last Achaemenid king was Darius III ( 336 BC - 330 BC ), who was defeated by Alexander III of Macedon . After the Macedonian conquest, the Persian Empire was annexed by Alexander (See " Achaemenid Rulers " below for full list of rulers). HISTORY The founder of this dynasty was supposedly Achaemenes (Old Persian ''Haxāmaniڑ'' "Of Friendly Mind"). He was succeeded by his son Teispes (''Ciڑpi''), who first took the title King of Anڑān after seizing that city from the Elamites . Inscriptions indicate that when Teispes died, two of his sons shared the throne as Cyrus I (''Kūru''), king of Anڑān, and Ariaramnes (''Ariyāramna'' "Having the Iranians at Peace"), king of ''Parsua'' (later called ''Pārsa'' "Persia", hence ''Fārsi'', the native name for modern Persian). They were succeeded by their respective sons Cambyses I Of Anshan (''Kambūjiya'', "the Elder"), and Arsames (''Arڑāma'' "Having a Hero's Might") of Persia. In 559 BC , Cambyses I the Elder was succeeded as king of Anڑān by his son Cyrus II The Great , who also succeeded the still-living Arsames as King of Persia, thus reuniting the two realms. Cyrus II is considered to be the first king of the Achaemenid dynasty to be properly called so, as his predecessors were subservient to Media . Cyrus II conquered Media, Lydia and Babylon . His successors were less successful. Cyrus' unstable son Cambyses II conquered Egypt, but died in July 522 BC as the result of either accident or suicide, during a revolt led by a priest, Gaumata. Gaumata usurped the throne by pretending to be Smerdis (Pers. ''Bardiya''; Cambyses' brother whom he had secretly had assassinated in 525, before starting out for his Egyptian campaign) until he was overthrown in 522 BC by a member of a lateral branch of the Achaemenid family, Darius I (Old Persian ''Dārayawuڑ'' "Who Holds Firm the Good", also known as ''Darayarahush'' or Darius the Great). According to Herodotus , the native leadership then debated the best form of government for the Empire. He reports that it was decided that Oligarchy would divide them against one another, and democracy would bring about mob rule resulting in a charismatic leader resuming the monarchy. Therefore, they decided a new monarch was in order, particularly since ''they'' were in a position to choose him. Darius I was chosen monarch from amongst the leaders. He was cousin to Cambyses II and Smerdis, claiming Ariaramnes as his ancestor. Darius attacked the Greek mainland, which had supported rebellious Greek colonies under his aegis; but as a result of his defeat at the Battle Of Marathon in 490, he was forced to retract the limits of the empire to Asia Minor . The Achaemenids thereafter consolidated areas firmly under their control. It was Cyrus and Darius who, by sound and farsighted administrative planning, brilliant military maneuvering, and a humanistic worldview, established the greatness of the Achaemenids and in less than thirty years raised them from an obscure tribe to a world power. The zenith of Achaemenid power was achieved during Darius' reign ( 521 BC - 485 BC ) and that of his son Xerxes I ( 485 BC - 465 BC , Old Persian ''Xڑāyarڑā'' "Hero Among Kings"). These two rulers built great, beautiful palaces in the ancient cities of Persepolis (built 518-516 BC), Susa and Ecbatana (''Hagmatāna'' "City of Gatherings"). The Persian Empire reached its greatest extent in this period.
	Image:Stone SoldjpgA Relief Of Persian Soldier On The Walls Of	"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Persepolis" class="copylinks">Persepolis , the capital of the Achaemenid Empire

Information About

Achaemenid