Realm · 550–331 BCE
Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire appears on the map from 550 BCE to 331 BCE. At its greatest recorded extent, in 480 BCE, it covered about 5.62 million km².
Cyrus the Great, king of the Persians in south-west Iran, overthrew his Median overlords in 550 BCE and went on to conquer Lydia and Babylon, creating the largest empire the world had yet seen. His son Cambyses added Egypt, and Darius I extended it to the Indus and into Europe. Darius organised the empire into provinces called satrapies, each paying set tribute, linked by the Royal Road and a fast courier service, and introduced standard gold coinage. More about Achaemenid Empire.
See Achaemenid Empire on the map in 480 BCE
- On the map
- 550–331 BCE
- Greatest extent
- 480 BCE, about 5.62 million km²
- Read more
- Wikipedia: Achaemenid Empire · Wikidata Q389688
Territory through time
| Years | Area drawn |
|---|---|
| 550–541 BCE | 3.33 million km² |
| 540–539 BCE | 3.71 million km² |
| 538–531 BCE | 4.28 million km² |
| 530–501 BCE | 4.27 million km² |
| 500–481 BCE | 5.55 million km² |
| 480–451 BCE | 5.62 million km² |
| 450–405 BCE | 5.53 million km² |
| 404–384 BCE | 4.99 million km² |
| 383–367 BCE | 4.31 million km² |
| 366–351 BCE | 4.32 million km² |
| 350–338 BCE | 4.33 million km² |
| 342–338 BCE | 687,438 km² |
| 337–334 BCE | 5.01 million km² |
| 333–332 BCE | 4.60 million km² |
| 331 BCE | 3.51 million km² |
Related
- Achaemenid Empire empire
- Peloponnesian War 431 BCE – April 404 BCE
- The world in 500 BCE: The Persian Peace chapter
- The world in 400 BCE: Age of Philosophers chapter