Antiquity
Achaemenid Empire
- Period
- 550 BC – 327 BC
- Duration
- approx. 223 years
- Greatest extent
- around 480 BC
- Area (max.)
- approx. 5.6 million km²
Profile
Strength
A multi-ethnic army with the elite 'Immortals' (10,000 men); the Royal Road (over 2,500 km) tied the empire together.
Famous figures
- Cyrus the Great
- Cambyses II
- Darius I
- Xerxes I
- Artaxerxes II
Wars & battles won
- Conquest of Babylon (539 BC)
- Conquest of Egypt (525 BC)
- Suppression of the Ionian Revolt (494 BC)
Wars & battles lost
- Battle of Marathon (490 BC)
- Battle of Salamis (480 BC)
- Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC)
Languages
- Old Persian
- Aramaic
- Elamite
Period and duration
Achaemenid Empire — according to the map data from 550 BC to 327 BC, roughly 223 years. The dates refer to the time the empire is drawn as its own territory on the world map; historians sometimes date its founding and end differently.
Greatest extent
Achaemenid Empire — greatest extent around 480 BC: the mapped borders then cover about 5.6 million km², roughly 3.8% of Earth's land area. The area is calculated from the border lines of the map and is therefore an approximation.
Predecessors and successors
States that ruled the same territory directly before and after:
Before (551 BC)
After
Neighbours around 480 BC
The largest states in the region at the same time:
Learn more
- Open the world map in 480 BC — tap the empire for a detailed description
- Achaemenid Empire on Wikipedia
- All 371 empires at a glance
Borders and dates: Cliopatria / Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coastlines: Natural Earth. Text: Centaurian.