Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE)

Achaemenid Empire
550 BCE–330 BCE
Standard
The empire at its height around 500 BCE
Common languages	Old Persian Aramaic
Government	Monarchy
Area
• Total	5,500,000 km²

The Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire, was a multinational ancient state stretching from what is now Bulgaria to Pakistan. It began in 550 BCE with the unification of Persia and Media and quickly grew to include Egypt and much of Western Asia.