Iranian Plateau to the Indus · Classical Era
Achaemenid Persian Empire
The largest empire the ancient world had yet seen
550 BCE – 330 BCE · 220 years
At its height the largest empire yet seen, governing dozens of distinct peoples through a tiered satrapy system.
Where it sits on the calendar
Government
Centralized empire
Writing system
Old Persian cuneiform and Aramaic
Estimated peak population
35,000,000
How it ended
Invasion or conquest
Traits
How Achaemenid Persian Empire ended
Conquered by Alexander the Great following defeats at Issus and Gaugamela.
See other civilizations that fell the same way →Notable for
- Royal Road spanning thousands of kilometers
- Tolerant administration of diverse subject peoples
- Qanat underground irrigation systems
Who else was alive at the same time
8 other civilizations in this dataset overlap with Achaemenid Persian Empire's 220-year span.
See every overlap involving Achaemenid Persian Empire →