At its peak, the Persian Empire stretched from the Hindu Kush in the East to the coast of Asia Minor in the West. This vast territory was divided into numerous administrative provinces called satrapies, each hosting the great cities of the ancient Middle Eastern world.
From royal capitals like Persepolis and Pasargadae to renowned administrative centers like Susa and Babylon, the Achaemenid Empire controlled many iconic cities of cultural and political significance. In this article, join Thefactsofwar to discover the nine greatest cities of the Achaemenid era and the fascinating historical stories tied to them.
Pasargadae – The First Great City of the Persian Empire
After Cyrus the Great revolted against the Medes in 550 BCE and emerged victorious, he began building the Persian Empire as a dominant power. To commemorate this triumph, Cyrus initiated the construction of a city-palace worthy of a king—Pasargadae.
Cyrus chose a site on a fertile plain near the Pulvar River to build Pasargadae. Over his 30-year reign, the city became the religious and royal center of the growing Achaemenid Empire. A mighty fortress guarded the northern entrance, while a stunning royal park became its centerpiece.
This garden was influenced by other great Middle Eastern empires like the Assyrians but also established its own unique traditions. Designed geometrically, it featured water channels to sustain lush greenery around a central pool. Simple surrounding buildings were constructed to enhance the garden’s beauty rather than overshadow it.
Cyrus also built at least two palaces in Pasargadae, along with an apadana audience hall often used to receive delegates. Pasargadae is also the resting place of Cyrus, with his simple yet majestic tomb, still one of Iran’s most cherished monuments.
Persepolis – The Jewel of the Achaemenid Dynasty
After the brief reign of Cambyses, Cyrus’s son, the Persian throne passed to Darius the Great. Eager to leave his own mark, Darius began constructing a city-palace of his own. He chose a site about 50km downstream from Pasargadae and named it Persepolis.
Construction of Persepolis began in 518 BCE, swiftly transforming it into the new royal center of the Persian Empire. Around the city, a community of artisans and builders emerged to create an impressive architectural complex at the foot of a mountain.
Darius built a grand palace and a vast apadana in Persepolis. This massive hall surely awed officials from across the empire when they came to pay tribute to Darius. These ambassadors are depicted in intricate reliefs that survive to this day.
Persepolis continued to expand after Darius’s death. His son, Xerxes I, built his own palace here, far larger than his father’s. Xerxes also erected the Gate of All Nations and completed the Royal Treasury.
Xerxes’s successors added their own memorial structures to the city. However, in 331 BCE, Alexander the Great invaded the Achaemenid Empire and destroyed Persepolis, reducing it to ashes.
Susa – Administrative Hub of the Persian Empire
Susa, one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, may have been founded around 4200 BCE. For centuries, it served as the capital of the Elamite civilization and was conquered multiple times across eras. In 540 BCE, Cyrus the Great took control of this ancient city.
After Cyrus’s death, his son Cambyses chose Susa as his capital. When Darius ascended the throne, Susa remained his favored royal retreat. Under Darius, a magnificent new palace was built in Susa. To complete it, Darius gathered the finest materials from across the Persian Empire, including bricks from Babylon, cedarwood from Lebanon, gold from Sardis, and ebony, ivory, and silver from Egypt and Nubia.
As the Achaemenid Empire’s administrative hub, Susa was a priority for Darius’s connectivity efforts. The city lay on a key point of the Persian Royal Road—a 1,700-mile route linking distant cities within the empire.
When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Susa fell into his hands but was spared the destruction inflicted on Persepolis. It continued as a vital center under subsequent empires like the Parthians and Seleucids.
Ecbatana – The First Conquest of the Persian Empire
When Cyrus the Great rebelled against the Medes to establish the Persian state, his adversary was King Astyages. According to Greek historian Herodotus, Astyages dreamt his grandson would overthrow him and ordered the infant killed at birth to prevent this. However, Astyages’s general Harpagus disobeyed, secretly sparing the child—who later became Cyrus the Great.
Cyrus eventually rose up and overthrew Astyages, who had invaded Persia to suppress the rebellion. But Harpagus, commanding half of Astyages’s army, betrayed him and handed the king over to Cyrus. Cyrus marched into Ecbatana, seized the Median capital, and incorporated it into the Persian Empire.
Throughout Achaemenid rule, Ecbatana remained one of the empire’s most significant cities. It served as an administrative center and a favored summer retreat for many Persian kings. According to Herodotus, Ecbatana was a formidable fortress with seven concentric walls, though this may have been exaggerated.
Like many Achaemenid cities, Ecbatana fell to Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. There, Alexander ordered the execution of one of his generals, Parmenion, on suspicion of treason.
Sardis – Coin-Minting Center of the Achaemenid Empire
After conquering Ecbatana, Cyrus the Great continued expanding Persian influence in the region. In Lydia, a kingdom encompassing parts of Asia Minor and Greek cities in Ionia, King Croesus grew anxious. As an ally and brother-in-law of Astyages, Croesus sought to confront the Persians.
Cyrus defeated Croesus at the Battle of Thymbria. Traditionally, Croesus retreated as the campaign season ended. However, Cyrus pursued and besieged Sardis. Croesus abandoned the lower city, home to the poor, and held the upper citadel. Nevertheless, Cyrus prevailed, capturing Sardis in 546 BCE.
Lydia, once a wealthy kingdom, became part of the Persian Empire. Sardis’s riches stemmed from workshops minting gold and silver coins, making the Lydians the first civilization to produce pure gold and silver currency. Sardis served as the administrative hub of one of Persia’s key provinces and the endpoint of the Persian Royal Road.
During the Ionian Revolt, Greek forces sacked Sardis. In retaliation, King Darius crushed the rebellion and destroyed Greek city-states like Eretria and Athens. Sardis was rebuilt and remained under Achaemenid control until surrendering to Alexander the Great in 334 BCE.
Babylon – Symbol of Persian Power
In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great entered Babylon as a peaceful conqueror. Capturing Babylon, one of Mesopotamia’s most ancient and significant cities, solidified Persia’s status as the Middle East’s dominant power.
After defeating King Nabonidus’s army at the Battle of Opis, the Persians advanced on Babylon. The city was too fortified for a prolonged siege. However, as Babylon held a major festival, the Persians diverted the Euphrates River to breach its walls and seize the city.
Both Cyrus and Darius respected Babylon’s prestige, allowing it to retain its culture and customs. The two kings attended Babylon’s key religious festivals and valued the title “King of Babylon.” The city remained an administrative, artistic, and scholarly center of the empire.
Cyrus and Darius permitted major construction projects in Babylon, particularly favoring the powerful priesthood of Marduk, the city’s patron god. However, when Babylonians revolted against heavy taxes under Xerxes, he punished the city harshly, reportedly destroying Marduk’s sacred statue.
When Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenid Empire, Babylon became one of his most prized spoils. Alexander ordered it spared from destruction, and Babylon thrived under new rule.
Memphis – Persian Capital in Egypt
Egypt posed a major challenge to the Persian Empire, with two distinct Achaemenid rule periods. After Cyrus the Great’s death, his son Cambyses invaded and conquered Egypt in 525 BCE.
Memphis became the capital of Persia’s Egyptian province, marking the start of the first Achaemenid rule in Egypt, known as the 27th Dynasty. One of Egypt’s oldest and most vital cities, Memphis was where all Pharaohs were crowned and home to the famed Temple of Ptah.
When Darius took the throne, rebellions erupted, including in Egypt. To quell them, Darius showed favor to Egypt’s native priesthood. Throughout his reign, he continued this policy, completing the Suez Canal and codifying Egyptian laws. He also built temples honoring Egyptian gods.
Under Xerxes, however, Egypt rebelled again. Xerxes brutally suppressed the uprising, but his successors struggled to maintain control. The 27th Dynasty was overthrown in 405 BCE under Artaxerxes II by Nectanebo II, who declared himself Pharaoh.
In 343 BCE, Artaxerxes III reconquered Egypt, re-establishing Memphis as the capital and beginning the second Achaemenid rule, the 31st Dynasty. This period was brief, as Egypt voluntarily surrendered to Alexander the Great in 332 BCE.
Tyre – Naval Base of Persian Phoenicia
As Cyrus the Great expanded the nascent Persian Empire, the Phoenician city-states along Lebanon’s coast were swiftly annexed. Cyrus captured Tyre in 539 BCE, initially allowing the Phoenician city-states to retain their local kings.
Skilled sailors and successful merchants, the Phoenicians opened new economic opportunities for Persia. Tyre grew wealthy and prominent through trade in purple dye from Murex sea snails and goods like silver.
Tyre and other Phoenician city-states also served as valuable military allies. However, tensions arose. When King Cambyses organized an expedition to seize Carthage, Tyre refused to attack its descendants.
During the Greco-Persian Wars, the Phoenicians formed the backbone of the navy deployed by Darius and Xerxes. Under later Persian kings, Tyre rebelled multiple times, including a 392 BCE revolt instigated by Athens and Egypt. Tyre enjoyed a decade of freedom from Persian rule before the rebellion was crushed.
Ironically, Tyre was the only Phoenician city-state to resist Alexander the Great when others surrendered. Sadly, this led to its infamous destruction in 332 BCE.
Miletus – Greek Colony Under Persian Rule
Before Persia’s rise, Miletus was a thriving Greek colony in Ionia along Asia Minor’s coast. A hub of trade and scholarship, it was the birthplace of Thales, the first Greek philosopher.
Miletus fell to Persia when Cyrus the Great defeated King Croesus of Lydia in 546 BCE. All of Asia Minor became Persian territory, and Miletus remained a key commercial center.
However, Miletus caused trouble for Persian kings. Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus, sparked the Ionian Revolt against Darius the Great in 499 BCE. Supported by Athens and Eretria, he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Lade in 493 BCE.
Darius ordered all men in Miletus killed and the women and children sold into slavery. After Xerxes failed to conquer Greece, Miletus was liberated by a coalition of Greek city-states. Yet, after the Corinthian War ended with a treaty with Persia, the Achaemenid Empire retook Miletus.
In 334 BCE, Alexander the Great besieged Miletus, and its capture marked an early step in the Persian Empire’s downfall.
Conclusion
In summary, the Persian Empire was not only one of history’s greatest ancient empires but also left a lasting legacy through iconic cities like Persepolis, Pasargadae, Susa, and Babylon. These centers of culture, economy, and politics helped build a mighty empire whose architectural, artistic, and administrative heritage continues to be studied and admired today.
We hope this article from Thefactsofwar has provided readers with an overview of the Persian Empire’s remarkable achievements while sparking curiosity to explore other captivating chapters of history. These historical tales offer not only knowledge but also a reminder of the power of creativity and intellect in shaping great civilizations.
Translated by: Minh Tuan
Source: thecollector.com – 9 Greatest Cities Of The Persian Empire
