Achaemenid
Persian:هخامنشی
Other Forms:Hakhamaneshi
Dynasty of kings that ruled in ancient
Persia (550-331 BC)
Achaemenian dynasty : Early
Persian dynasty. It derives its name from
Achaemenes, who is thought to have lived in the early 7th century BC. From his son Teispes were descended two lines of kings. The older line included
Cyrus I,
Cambyses I, Cyrus II or
Cyrus The Great, and Cambyses II; the junior line began with
Dariush I and ended with the death of
Dariush III. Its greatest rulers were Cyrus II (559-529 BC), who actually established the Persian empire and from whose reign it is dated; Dariush I, who secured the borders from external threats; and
Xerxes I, who completed many of Dariush's public works. At its height, the Achaemenian Empire reached from
Macedonia to northern
India and from the Caucasus Mountains to the
Persian Gulf. The ruins of one of its capitals, Persepolis, survive from its golden age.
Kings of the
Achaemenid Empire:
- Achaemenes of Persia
- Ariaramnes of Persia, son of Teispes and co-ruler with Cyrus I
- Arsames of Persia, son of Ariaramnes and co-ruler with Cambyses I
- Teispes of
Anshan, son of Achaemenes
- Cyrus I of Anshan, son of Teispes
- Cambyses I of Anshan, son of Cyrus I
- Cyrus 2. the
Great, son of Cambyses I, ruled from c.550-530 BCE (ruler of Anshan c. 559 BCE – conquered
Media 550 BCE)
- Cambyses 2., son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 529-522 BCE
-
Smerdis (Bardiya), alleged son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 522 BCE (Possibly an usurper)
- Dariush I the Great, brother-in-law of Smerdis and grandson of Arsames, ruled 521-486 BCE
- Xerxes I the Great, son of Dariush I, ruled 485-465 BCE
-
Artaxerxes I Longimanus, son of Xerxes I, ruled 465-424 BCE
- Xerxes 2., son of Artaxerxes I, ruled 424 BCE
-
Sogdianus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes 2., ruled 424-423 BCE
-
Dariush 2. Nothus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes 2., ruled 423-405 BCE
-
Artaxerxes 2.
Mnemon, son of Darius 2., ruled 404-359 BCE (see also
Xenophon)
- Artaxerxes I3.
Ochus, son of Artaxerxes 2., ruled 358-338 BCE
- Artaxerxes 4. Arses, son of
Artaxerxes 3., ruled 338-336 BCE
-
Dariush 3. Codomannus, great-grandson of Darius 2., ruled 336-330 BCE