Editing Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE)

{{Infobox country|name=Achaemenid Empire|image_flag=Standard of Cyrus the Great.svg|government_type=Monarchy|life_span=550 BCE–330 BCE|flag_type=Standard|image_map=Achaemenid map.svg|map_width=260|map_caption=The empire at its height around 500 BCE|common_languages=Old Persian<br>Aramaic|area_km2=5,500,000}}

The '''Achaemenid Empire''', also known as the '''First Persian Empire''', was a multinational ancient state stretching from what is now [[Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] to [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan|Pakistan]]. It began in 550 BCE with the unification of Persia and Media and quickly grew to include [[Egypt]] and much of [[Western Asia]]. The empire fell after [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] of [[Macedon]] conquered Persepolis in 331 BCE.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|author=Neil Faulkner|year=2013|title=A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals|chapter=Ancient Empires|page=29–42|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacedljwr5izotdclz23o3c5p4di4t3ero3ncbfytip55slhiz4otuls?filename=Neil%20Faulkner%20-%20A%20Marxist%20History%20of%20the%20World_%20From%20Neanderthals%20to%20Neoliberals-Pluto%20Press%20%282013%29.pdf|publisher=Pluto Press|isbn=9781849648639|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=91CA6C708BFE15444FE27899217FBA8E}}</ref>

== History ==
In 357 BCE, [[Cyrus the Great]] allowed a group of [[Judaism|Jewish]] exiles to travel to [[Palestine]] from Babylonia.<ref name=":02">{{Citation|author=Neil Faulkner|year=2013|title=A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals|chapter=The End of Antiquity|page=54|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacedljwr5izotdclz23o3c5p4di4t3ero3ncbfytip55slhiz4otuls?filename=Neil%20Faulkner%20-%20A%20Marxist%20History%20of%20the%20World_%20From%20Neanderthals%20to%20Neoliberals-Pluto%20Press%20%282013%29.pdf|publisher=Pluto Press|isbn=9781849648639|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=91CA6C708BFE15444FE27899217FBA8E}}</ref> Persia attempted to invade [[Ancient Greece|Greece]] twice but was defeated at Marathon in 490 BCE and Salamis in 480 BCE. Macedon destroyed the empire in 331 BCE at the Battle of Gaugamela.<ref name=":0" />

== Government ==
The empire was divided into tribute-paying provinces ruled by satraps, with roads and a postal system connecting different regions. Satraps controlled large armies, but the King would take control of the military in the event of a major rebellion or foreign expeditions. Local kings and satraps held immense power, causing frequent rebellions.<ref name=":0" />

== Military ==
Each ethnic group in the Achaemenid military retained its own fighting style; for example, the Persians fought as spear infantry and the Medes were light cavalry.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
[[Category:Ancient history]]