// Antiquity
Achaemenid Empire
- Period
- 550 BC – 327 BC
- Duration
- approx. 223 years
- Greatest extent
- around 480 BC
- Area (max.)
- approx. 5.6 million km²
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:
- Scythia
- Kingdom of Kush
- Mahajanapadas
- Carthage
- Greek City-States
- Hadhramaut
- Etruscans
- Sabaeans
Learn more
- Open the world map in 480 BC — tap the empire for a detailed description
- Achaemenid Empire on Wikipedia
- All 300 empires at a glance
Borders and dates: Cliopatria / Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coastlines: Natural Earth. Text: Centaurian.