ACHAEMENID EMPIRE OLD PERSIAN FIRST PERSIAN EMPIRE EMPIRE WESTERN ASIA CYRUS THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS BECOMING LARGEST ANCIENT HISTORY MAXIMUM EXTENT THE BALKANS EASTERN EUROPE PROPER IN THE WEST INDUS VALLEY MODEL ADMINISTRATION SATRAP THE KING OF KINGS BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE POSTAL SYSTEM ROAD SYSTEMS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE TERRITORIES PROFESSIONAL ARMY CIVIL SERVICES SIMILAR SYSTEMS WESTERN HISTORY ANTAGONIST THE GREEK CITY STATES EMANCIPATION JEWISH EXILES BABYLON THE MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD THE EMPIRE THE CENTURY THE PERSIANS SETTLED SOUTHWESTERN THE IRANIAN PLATEAU THE REGION PERSIS THIS REGION ADVANCED THE MEDES LYDIA GREATEST THE TERRITORY IRAN TURKEY IRAQ KUWAIT SYRIA JORDAN ISRAEL PALESTINE LEBANON AFGHANISTAN POPULATION CENTERS ANCIENT EGYPT FAR WEST EASTERN LIBYA MACEDONIA PAEONIA THE BLACK SEA COASTAL REGIONS OF BULGARIA ROMANIA UKRAINE RUSSIA ARMENIA GEORGIA ABKHAZIA AZERBAIJAN PARTS THE NORTH CAUCASUS CENTRAL ASIA SQUARE KILOMETERS POPULATION ESTIMATES PEAK EMPIRES HIGHEST SHARE GLOBAL POPULATION DELEGATION POWER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THOUGHT EVENTUALLY THE KINGS CAUSING RESOURCES ATTEMPTS LOCAL LEADING ALEXANDER THE GREAT INVASION MODERN SCHOLARS ARGUE FACING CRISIS INTERNAL SUCCESSION ACHAEMENID FAMILY EVER CLOSE WEAKENING CONQUER DEATH TERRITORY RULE PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM SELEUCID EMPIRE ADDITION MINOR THAT TIME THE PERSIAN THE CENTRAL SECOND CENTURY BC PARTHIAN EMPIRE HISTORICAL MARK BEYOND TERRITORIAL MILITARY TECHNOLOGICAL RELIGIOUS ATHENIANS CUSTOMS DAILY LIVES RECIPROCAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE EMPLOYED ALLIED IMPACT CYRUSS EDICT INSTRUMENTAL SPREAD ZOROASTRIANISM FAR EAST SET THE TONE HERITAGE AND HISTORY OF ASTRONOMICAL YEAR NUMBERING JUSTIFY COLORS BACKGROUND PERIOD TILL TEXT TEISPES CYRUS CAMBYSES CYRUS II CAMBYSES II DARIUS XERXES ARTAXERXES DARIUS II ARTAXERXES II ARTAXERXES III ARSES DARIUS III BESSUS CONSULT PARTICULAR ARTICLE DETAILS SHORT DURATION SMERDIS XERXES II SOGDIANUS NOMADIC PERSIANS NAME PERSIA GREEK LATIN PRONUNCIATION NATIVE WORD REFERRING PEOPLE NORTH THE PERSIAN GULF SUCCESS RAPID IRANIAN EMPIRE GROUP ANCIENT IRANIAN PEOPLES ALREADY MEDIAN EMPIRE DOMINANT IRANIAN RISING AT THE END THE SEVENTH FALLEN THE DOMINATION SCYTHIANS BABYLONIA MAJOR ROLE ASSYRIANS ESTABLISHMENT OF TERM IN FACT VERSION BAHUVRIHI COMPOUND FRIENDS MIND MEANING THE FAMILY DERIVATION HIMSELF MINOR SEVENTH RULER ANSHAN DESCENDANT DEVELOPED THE PRESTIGE EXISTING THE ANCIENT VAST PERSIAN EMPIRE POINT ROSE REBELLION TACTICAL UNDERSTANDING CONDITIONS GOVERNING NEIGHBOURING THE WAY VENTURE DYNASTY GREATS POLITICAL ACUMEN MANAGEMENT ATTEMPT GOVERN ETHNIC GROUPS THE PRINCIPLE EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL PAID TAXES KEPT THE KING THE LOCAL SUBJECT UNIQUE QUALITY SUPPORT SYSTEM ISSUE THE NEED ORDER MOBILIZATION TROOPS QUELL ALMOST DISUNITED WHOM PASTORALISTS THE WESTERN IRANIAN PLATEAU CALLING THEMSELVES PARSA SHIFTING PARSUA CREATION CAPITAL PASARGADAE OPULENT PERSEPOLIS BEGUN DARIUS I THE GREAT YEARS LATER SYMBOL CENTER OF GOVERNMENT SPECIAL SET PROGRESSIVE STAIRWAYS RELIEF HEROISM NATURAL PRESENTATION GIFTS KINGS THE SPRING FESTIVAL NOWRUZ THE CORE STRUCTURE MULTITUDE SQUARE ROOMS APADANA DECORATED COLUMNS VISITORS THE HEIGHT LATER ON SUSA ECBATANA GOVERNMENTAL METROPOLITAN FAMILY TREE DERIVED DOCUMENTED ROMAN PERSIAN BEHISTUN INSCRIPTION GREEK PHILOSOPHERS THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS NOT TO MENTION SUBJECT TO SCHOLARLY ORIGIN POSSIBLE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND CREATE DEFINITIVE OBJECTIVE CLEAR CRITICAL EXPANSION BELIEVED THE SON GRANDSON FATHER FAMILY MEMBER MEDIAN KING ASTYAGES MANDANE OF MEDIA MINORITY RETROGRADE RECONCILE CONNECTION GAINING ANCIENT GREEK WRITERS LEGENDARY INFORMATION TRIBE RAISED EAGLE PLATO WRITING IDENTIFIED PERSES ANCESTOR GREEK MYTHOLOGY PERSON ETHIOPIAN QUEEN ANDROMEDA HERO PERSEUS ZEUS DIFFERENT PEOPLE ACCOUNT LEADER DARIUS THE GREAT WHOSE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION EXAMPLE THE CAUCASUS ASIA MINOR REIGNS ENGAGED MILITARY CONFLICT THE MAJOR ANCIENT GREECE WAR THE ELDER ARSAMES THUS TRUE KING OF POLITICALLY MODELING SAVIOR DISPLACED FREEDOM PRACTICE REINFORCE INSTITUTED POLICIES RESTORED TEMPLES ACQUIRED CITIES INHABITANTS CYRUS CYLINDER TANAKH JEWISH FAITH ANOINTED LESS DIED REVOLT SACERDOTAL CLAN CONQUEST CAUSE REMAINS HERODOTUS REVENGE THE PHARAOH TRICKERY SENT FAKE EGYPTIAN BRIDE AMASIS NEGATIVE REPORTS CAUSED PHANES OF HALICARNASSUS WISE COUNSELLOR RESOLVE FACE SUCCESSOR PSAMTIK III THE BATTLE PELUSIUM MAGI USURPED THE THRONE GAUMATA IIS YOUNGER BROTHER BARDIYA TANAOXARES ASSASSINATED STRICT STANCE THE WHOLE MEDES THE OTHER USURPER ABLE THE CLAIM IMPERSONATED THE RECORDS DIVIDED THE POSSIBILITY THE STORY OF THE IMPOSTOR INVENTED JUSTIFICATION CLAIM CAPTURED NEBUCHADNEZZAR III IMPOSTOR RULED SEVEN MONTHS HOLDS FIRM THE GOOD ALSO KNOWN AS PERSECUTED SAW LEADERSHIP THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT OLIGARCHY DIVIDE DEMOCRACY MOB RULE CHARISMATIC LEADER THE MONARCHY MONARCH PARTICULARLY POSITION CHOSEN COUSIN ARIARAMNES ACHAEMENIDS AREAS SOUND FARSIGHTED BRILLIANT WORLD VIEW GREATN