Achaemenian Dynasty
The Achaemenian Dynasty, founded by Achaemenes, is a notable ancient Persian dynasty that emerged around the 7th century BCE. The dynasty is renowned for its expansive empire, which at its height stretched from the Indian subcontinent to the Mediterranean, showcasing a remarkable level of governance and cultural diversity. Key figures include Cyrus the Great, who established the empire by defeating the Medes and famously allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Palestine, and Darius the Great, who unified the empire and faced significant challenges, including the Ionian Revolt and the Battle of Marathon against the Greeks.
The dynasty is characterized by its administrative innovations, such as the satrapy system, which divided the empire into provinces managed by satraps. Architecturally, the Achaemenians left a lasting legacy with impressive structures like those at Pasargadae and Persepolis, emphasizing their artistic and engineering capabilities. The dynasty's commitment to multilingual record-keeping, using Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadian, and Aramaic, reflects its administrative sophistication and cultural interactions. Despite its eventual conquest by Alexander the Great, the Achaemenian Dynasty remains a significant chapter in the history of ancient Persia, influencing subsequent cultures and governance.
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Achaemenian Dynasty
Also known as: ).
Date: 705-330 b.c.e.
Locale: Persia (modern Iran)
Achaemenian Dynasty
Achaemenes (c. 705-675 b.c.e.?) is the Greek form of Hakhamanish, the eponymous ancestor of the Achaemenian (ak-ih-MEHN-ee-uhn) Dynasty, who reigned over the Persians. Teispes, his son, fathered both a senior and a junior line of kings. The first line included Cambyses I (r. c. 600-559 b.c.e.); Cyrus the Great (r. 558-530 b.c.e.), who defeated his Median grandfather, Astyages (r. c. 585-550 b.c.e.), conquered Lydia in 546 b.c.e. and captured Babylon in 539 b.c.e., allowing the Jews to return to Palestine; and Cambyses II (r. 529-522 b.c.e.), who murdered his younger brother Smerdis and in 525 b.c.e. conquered Egypt and the Nile Valley down to Nubia but died of an accidental wound in 522 b.c.e.
The junior line of kings took over with Darius the Great (r. 522-486 b.c.e.), who unified the empire, suppressed the Ionian Revolt (499-494 b.c.e.), and lost the Battle of Marathon (490 b.c.e.) to the Greeks. The empire now reached to the Hyphasis (Beas) River in the east, Macedonia and Libya in the west, the Caucasus Mountains and the Aral Sea in the north, and the Persian Gulf and the Arabian desert in the south. Xerxes I (r. 486-465 b.c.e.) launched a massive invasion of Greece, winning at Thermopylae (480 b.c.e.) but suffering defeat at Salamis (480 b.c.e.) and Plataea (479 b.c.e.). Hostilities continued under Artaxerxes I (465-425 b.c.e.) until the Peace of Callias (449).
Darius II (r. 424-405 b.c.e.) gave monetary aid, which enabled the Spartans to defeat the Athenians in their civil war. Artaxerxes II (r. 405-359) was challenged by his brother Cyrus the Younger, who was killed at the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 b.c.e. Artaxerxes III (r. 359-338 b.c.e.) saw the rise of the Macedonian king Philip II, whose son Alexander the Great overran the Persian Empire during the reign of Darius III (r. 336-330 b.c.e.).
Governing the vast empire was accomplished through a system of provinces called satrapies, governed by satraps who were periodically observed by the king’s own officials. Examples of Achaemenian architecture survive at Pasargadae (modern Mashad-i-Murghab north of Lake Bakhtegān) and at Persepolis thirty miles (forty-eight kilometers) southwest. Persians maintained their records in three languages, inscriptions appearing in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian. A fourth language, Aramaic, was used for the day-to-day work of government and international correspondence. Many art objects, including sophisticated works in gold, have survived.
Bibliography
Cook, J. M. The Persian Empire. New York: Schocken, 1983.
Dandamaev, M. A. A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire. Leiden: Brill, 1989.
Frye, R. N. History of Ancient Iran. Munich: C. H. Beck, 1984.
Gershevitch, I., ed. The Cambridge History of Iran II: The Median and Achaemenian Periods. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Yamauchi, E. Persia and the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1990.