Cyrus the Great
Lesson 1 and 2
Over 2500 years ago, in the city of Anshan in Persia, a child was born who would be known to the world as Cyrus the Great.
Cambyses II
Lesson 3
Cambyses II was the eldest son of Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II) and became king after Cyrus’ death. Cambyses’ main achievement was the conquest of Egypt in 525 BC, which established Persian rule there for two centuries.
Darius I
Darius the Great
Lesson 4
Although Darius consolidated and added to the conquests of his predecessors, it was as an administrator that he made his greatest contribution to Persian history.
Xerxes I
Lesson 5
Xerxes the Great (Xerxes I) became king of Persia after his father, Darius I, died. Right away, he had to stop a pre-existing revolt in Egypt. After that, he prepared to invade Greece.
Remaining Kings
Lesson 6
After Xerxes the Great (Xerxes I), the Achaemenid Empire faced constant power struggles, assassinations, and instability.
Darius III, the Last King
Lesson 7
The Persian Empire was vast but unstable. Many of its governors, called satraps, were power-hungry and unreliable, and rebellions further weakened Persian control. Darius III’s first major challenge was restoring order in Egypt, which he managed to do after about a year. However, a much greater threat was rising: Alexander the Great was coming for Persia.
