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The Achaemenids home : ancient Persia : index : article by Jona Lendering © Achaemenids   Achaemenids(Hakhâmanišiya): royal dynasty of ancient Persia, named afterits legendary founder Achaemenes (Hakhâmaniš). According to the official story, the Achaemenidor Persian empire was founded by Cyrusthe Great, who became king of Persis in 559 BCE and defeated his overlord Astyagesof Mediain 550. The size of the Median empire is not exactly known, but it seemsto have included Cappadociaand Armeniain the west and Parthia, Ariaand Hyrcaniain the east. Cyrus added Lydia(perhaps in 547,but probably later), Bactriaand Sogdia, campaigned in India, and capturedthe city of Babylonin 539. His capital was Pasargadae,built on the site where he had defeated Astyages. In 530, Cyrus was killedduring a campaign against the Massagetae, a Scythiantribe. He was succeeded by his son Cambyses,who conquered Egypt (525). Three years later, civil war broke out whenhis courtier Gaumâtarevolted. Cambyses returned home but died in Syria. A distant relativeof Cambyses, the Achaemenid prince Darius,however, killed Gaumâta. After the second coup in one year,many provinces of the Achaemenid empire revolted; the most important rebellionswere those of Phraortesof Media and Nidintu-Bêlof Babylonia.After nineteen battles, tranquillity returned to the Achaemenid empire.Darius described his victory in the Behistuninscription, in which he presents himself as the faithful servant ofthe Persian supreme god Ahuramazda.(We do not know whether the Achaemenids adhered to the teachings of theBactrian prophet Zarathustra,although later Persian dynasties certainly were Zoroastrians.) It should be stressed that there is not a single piece of contemporaryevidence that calls Cyrus or Cambyses Achaemenids. (The texts that do,were written during the reign of Darius.) It is possible that there wasno link between the two first Persian kings and the family of Darius. Darius reorganized the empire and created satrapies,territorial units that also served as tax districts. He also founded Persepolis,where many administrativetexts were discovered, and built a palace in Susa.Capable generals like Mardoniusadded new countries to the empire, which now extendedfrom Macedoniain the west to Pakistan in the east, and from the river Syrdar'ya and theCaucasus mountains in the north to the Libyan desert and the Persian Gulfin the south.  During the reign of Darius' son Xerxes,the expansion of the empire came to an end. Gandaraand Taxilain the far east were lost. The Greek researcher Herodotusof Halicarnassus describes in his HistoriesXerxes' ill-fated campaign against the Greeks(480-479). In the west, Macedonia, Thrace and several Greek towns in AsiaMinor became independent. However, Xerxes was able to keep the empire intactduring the transition from an expansionist to a more static organization. Under his successors ArtaxerxesI Makrocheir (465-424) and DariusII Nothus (423-404), the empire remained as itwas: the strongest power on earth. In several regions (e.g., Asia Minor)we detect strong Persian cultural influence. In Greece, the Athenians copiedmany institutions of their powerful neighbor. They were not the only ones.To the north of the Achaemenid empire, the Cadusianslearned how to organize itself. The war against this tribe was to flareup several times in the fourth century. After the death of Darius II, civil war brokeout between ArtaxerxesII Mnemon and his younger brother Cyrus,who marched with an army of Greek mercenaries to the east, but was defeatedat Cunaxa near Babylon. This event was important, because it was now obviousthat the Persian infantry was no match to the Greek hoplites.The Achaemenids developed a policy of dividing the Greek powers (Athens,Sparta, Thebes) and were able to strengthen their grip on Asia Minor, wherethe Greek towns were again subdued. On the other hand, Egypt became independent under Amyrtaeus.Several times, the Persians tried to reconquer the former satrapy, usuallyemploying Greek mercenaries. (The Egyptians did the same.) These attemptscame to nothing until two generals of king ArtaxerxesIII Ochus (358-338), Bagoasand Mentorof Rhodes, were finally successful and forcedthe last pharaohof independent Egypt, NectaneboII, to flee (342/341). Related Achaemenidkings RoyalInscriptions  The Network of Royal Roads After the death of Artaxerxes III, there wasa crisis in the Achaemenid dynasty. The new king was ArtaxerxesIV Arses, but after a brief reign, he was replacedby a distant relative, Darius III Codomannus(336-330). Several satrapies revolted, but Darius immediately put downthese rebellions. However, in the meantime, the Macedonian king Alexanderthe Great had invaded Asia Minor. Although Darius sent out a Greekmercenary leader, Memnonof Rhodes, and a Persian admiral, Pharnabazus,the Macedonians were able to reach Syria, where they defeated Darius atIssus (333). The Persians built a new army, but two years later,they were defeated at Gaugamela.Darius was murdered (330) and Alexander started to reign as an Achaemenidking, keeping the empire together. After Alexander's death in Babylon (11June 323), his empire was divided into three parts: Macedonia was ruledby Antipater, Ptolemyreconstituted the Egyptian kingdom, and Seleucusruled the Asian parts of Alexander's realms. In fact, the Seleucidempire was a continuation of the Achaemenid empire. An overview of articles on the Achaemenid empirecan be found here; a listof kings is here. home : index : ancientPersia _uacct = "UA-1495088-1";urchinTracker(); |
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