Standard of Cyrus the Great
The Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 B.C.E.),
known as the Persian Empire, was the successor state of the Median
Empire, expanding to eventually rule over significant portions of
the ancient world which at around 500 B.C.E. stretched from the
Indus Valley in the east, to Thrace and Macedon on the northeastern
border of Greece. The Achaemenid Empire would eventually control
Egypt, encompassing some 1 million square miles unified by a
complex network of roads and , ruled by monarchs, to become the
greatest empire the world had yet seen.
Calling themselves the Parsa and their original territorial range
Parsua, Persians had settled in the southwest Iranian plateau,
bounded on the west by the Tigris River and on the south by the
Persian Gulf which had become their heartland for the duration of
the Achaemenid Empire. It was from this region that eventually
Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II of Persia) would advance to defeat the
Median, the Lydian, and the Babylonian Empires, opening the way for
subsequent conquests into Egypt and Asia minor.
At the height of its power after the conquest of Egypt, the empire
encompassed approximately 8 million km2 spanning three continents:
Asia, Africa and Europe. At its greatest extent, the empire
included the modern territories of Iran, Pakistan, parts of Central
Asia, Asia Minor, Thrace and Macedonia, much of the Black Sea
coastal regions, Afghanistan, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and all significant population centers of
ancient Egypt as far west as Libya. It is noted in western history,
as the antagonist foe of the Greek city statesduring the
Greco-Persian Wars, for emancipation of slaves including the Jewish
people from their Babylonian captivity, and for instituting
infrastructures such as a postal system, road systems, and the
usage of an official language throughout its territories. The
empire had a centralised, bureaucratic administration under the
Emperor and a large professional army and civil services, inspiring
similar developments in later empires.
The vast size of the Persian empire, and its extraordinary
ethnocultural diversity across its realm, would prove to be its
undoing as the delegation of power to local governments eventually
weakened the king's central authority, causing much energy and
resources to be wasted in attempts to subdue local rebellions. This
was the reason why when Alexander the Great (Alexander III of
Macedon) invaded Persia in 334 B.C.E. he was faced by a disunified
realm under a weak monarch, ripe for destruction. Alexander, an
avid admirer of Cyrus the Great, would eventually cause the
collapse of the empire and its disintegration around 330 B.C.E.
into what later became the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Seleucid Empire,
in addition to other minor territories which gained independence at
that time. The Iranian Culture of the central plateau, however,
continued to thrive and eventually reclaimed power by 2nd century
B.C.E.
The historical mark of the Achaemenid Empire went far beyond its
territorial and military influences and included cultural, social,
technological and religious influences as well. Many Athenians
adopted Achaemenid customs in their daily lives in a reciprocal
cultural exchange, some being employed, or allied to the Persian
kings. The impact of Cyrus the Great's Edict of Restoration is
mentioned in Judeo-Christian text and the empire was instrumental
in spread of Zoroastrianism as far east as China. Even Alexander
the Great, the man who would set out to conquer this vast empire
would respect its customs, by enforcing respect for the royal
Persian kings including Cyrus the Great, and even by appearing in
proskynesis, a Persian royal custom, despite stern Macedonian
disapproval. The Persian empire would also set the tone for the
politics, heritage and history of modern Persia (now called Iran).
The influence also encompasses Persia's previous territories
collectively referred to as the Greater Persia. A notable
engineering achievement is the Qanat water management system, the
oldest and longest of which, is older than 3000 years and longer
than 44 miles (71 km.)
In the 5th century B.C.E., it is estimated that 50 million, or
around 45% of the world population lived in the Achaemenid Empire,
which would make it the largest empire in history in terms of
percentage of world population.