Achemenid empire

Persian empire ruled by the Achemenid dynasty (550- 331 BC), named after its founding ancestor, Achemenes. The empire was established by Cyrus II (559-530 BC), who took over the Median throne (550 BC) and conquered Lydia, Babylonia, Bactria and Gandhara. By the reign of Darius I (522-530 BC), the empire extended from Greece to the Indus, and from the Persian Gulf to the Aral Sea, with an administrative capital at Susa and royal center at Persepolis. This period is often regarded as a golden age of Persian art and architecture, and was important for the cultural contacts made possible between Mediterranean civilizations and those of the Middle East and south Asia.