Who's Who

Achaemenid Persia
Kings and Captains of Achaemenid Persia

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Medes

Deioces, 728 - 675 B.C.
Phraortes, 675 - 653 B.C.
Scythian interregnum
Cyaxares, 625 - 585 B.C.
Astyages, 585 - 550 B.C.

Achaemenid Kings

Period of Age at
Reign Coronation
Achaemenes
Teispes 675 - 640 B.C. 35 years
Cyrus I 640 - 600 B.C. 40 years
Cambyses I 600 - 559 B.C. 41 years
Cyrus II, the Great 559 - 529 B.C. 30 years 40 yrs
Cambyses II 530 - 522 B.C. 8 years
Smerdis, (the Magian) 522
Darius I, the Great 522 - 486 B.C. 36 years 30 yrs
Xerxes I 486 - 465 B.C. 21 years
Artaxerxes I 465 - 425 B.C. 40 years
Xerxes II 424 B.C. (45 days)
Darius II 423 - 404 B.C. 19 years
Artaxerxes II 404 - 359 B.C. 45 years 32 yrs
Artaxerxes III 359 - 339 B.C. 20 years
Arses 338 - 336 B.C. 2 years
Darius III 336 - 330 B.C. 6 years 45 yrs

Who's Who

Achaemenes
Persian - King (7th century BC)
Achaemenes, also known by the Persian name (Hakhamanish) was of the tribe of Pasargadae and the clan of the Achaemenians. He is referred to as the ancestral King of Achaemenian Dynasty.

Artaphernes
Persian - General
Son of Hystaspes, brother of Darius I, both had the same father.

Artaphernes the satrap of Ionia, recaptured Sardis and defeated the Greeks at the battle of Ephesus. He was appointed by Darius I, along with Datis, to command the expedition against Athens and Eretria.

His son, also by the same name, accompanied Xerxes' invasion of Greece.

Artybius
Persian - General
Died fighting in Cyprus in 496 B.C.
Artybius had trained his horse to rear and attack by biting and kicking the enemy with its front legs. Artybius singled out the Salaminian king Onesilos in the battle. Aware of the Persians tactic, Onesilos shielded the blows as the horse brought its fore-feet down on his shield. At this instant his Carian shield-bearer sheared off the horse's feet with his drepanon. Herodotus 5,109

Artaxerxes II
Persian - King (404-358 B.C.)
Born 436 BC. Son and successor of Darius II & Parysatis

Artaxerxes II, the mindful (Mnemon), was the eldest of four brothers. (Cyrus, the younger, Ostanes and Oxathres). Artaxerxes II is known for defeating his brother Cyrus' rebellion at the battle of Cunaxa (401 B.C.).His loss of Egypt and the follwing revolt of the satraps. He also ended the war with the Greeks with the King's Peace of 387-6 BC.

Cambyses II
Persian - King (530 to 522 B.C.)
Cambyses II, (Kambujiya) was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great
Died in 522 BC in Syria returning from his Egyptian conquest, apparently by accident.
Cambyses ruled only for a brief period of 8 years but managed to conquer Egypt. However Herodotus protrays him as half mad.

Cyrus the Great
Persian - King (555 - 529 B.C.)
Cyrus II (Kurush) was born 580 BC?, Son of Cambyses I & Mandane, (the daughter of The median King Astyages)
Died in battle fighting against a nomadic tribe called the Massagetes.
Cyrus II, king of Anshan, founder of the Achaemenid empire, "ruler of the world". After succeeding his father, he had within 5 years, united the three main Persians tribes (the Pasargadae,
the Maraphians and the Maspians) and led them in a successful revolt against the Medes. After conquering the Median empire, Cyrus went on to conquer the Lydian and Babylonian empires. Creating one of the world's greatest empires.

Cyrus is remembered as a liberator rather than a conqueror because he respected the customs and religions and the people he conquered. The Old Testament Book of Isaiah describes Cyrus as a shepherd of the Lord.

Darius I
Persian - King. 521 - 486 B.C.

Darius I (Darayavahush), was born about 550 B.C., the son of Hystaspes, married to Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great.

He died in 486 B.C. at the age of 64. He was succeeded by his son Xerxes.

Darius The Great, came to power after the death of Cambyses II in 522 BC.

Darius I spent much of his first years in power suppressing rebellions, then after securing his empire he extended the its borders into India and Europe. He began instituting major internal organizational reforms,
Established a tax-collection system.
Allowed locals to keep customs and religions.
Divided his empire into districts known as Satrapies
Built a system of roads still used today.
Established a complex postal system.
Established a network of spies he called the 'Eyes and ears of the King'.
Built two new capital cities, one at Susa and one at Persepolis.All of his reforms were aimed at promoting commerce and economic growth.

Darius' expansions of the empire lead it into direct conflict with Greece.

Darius III

Persian - King 336-330 BC
Darius III (Codomannus) was born 381 BC. His father: Arsames, Mother: Sisygambis. He was the nephew of Artaxerxes II.
Assassinated by Bessus, the satrap of Bactria in 330 BC.
Darius III was the final Achaemenid King. He was described as a tall and handsome man. Darius was not in direct line to ascend the throne until he was 45 when all other family members had been assassinated. Darius reigns for 6 short turbulent years and although his military skills are overshadowed by the genius of Alexander, he reconquested Egypt in 334 BC.

Darius was defeated by Alexander at the Battle of Issus (333), where his family was taken captive, then at Gaugamela (331 BC).

Mardonius
Persian - General
Son of Gobryas, he married Artozostra, a daughter of Darius I.
He died in leading a cavalry charge against the Spartans at Plataea, he was killed by Arimnestus, a distinguished Spartan, September 479 B.C.
An accomplished General and son-in-law of Darius I. In 492 BC Darius sent Mardonius to succeed the satrap Artaphernes in Ionia, with orders attack Athens and Eretria. Against the usual Achaemenid policy, he removed the ruling tyrants that initiated the unrest and restored democracies in the many of Ionian cities. Invading Thrace and Macedonia, he was wounded in a night attack by a Thracian tribe. Then after much of his fleet was wrecked off Mt. Athos, he returned home only he be relieved of his command.

Returning to favour, he, according to Herodotus, encouraged Xerxes to invade Greece and then after the defeat at Salamis he persuaded Xerxes to return to Sardis while he remained behind to complete the conquest of Greece. After unsuccessfully trying to win over the Athenians through diplomacy he risked everything at the battle of Plataea.

Megabazus
Persian - General
Satrap of Dascyleium & said to be one of the seven Persian nobles who helped defeat the rebellion and set Darius on the throne.
Sons of Megabazus: Bubares, Oebares and Pherendates.
Megabazus was held in very high regard by Darius I who paid him the compliment. "Had I as many men like Megabazus as there are seeds here,(in the pomegranate he was eating) it would please me better than to be lord of Greece." [Histories 4.142]
Megabazus accompanied Darius on his invasion of Scythia, and was given the honour of commanding the army for the subjugation of Thrace.

Tissaphernes

Persian - General \ Satrap of coastal Asia Minor (c. 413 -395 BC.)
Lost favour with Artaxerxes II, was removed from office and assassinated in 395 BC.

Tissaphernes, sided with Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and with Artaxerxes II against Cyrus the younger. He was instrumental in defeating Cyrus at the battle of Cunaxa (401) and pursued the retreating Greeks (The Ten Thousand - Xenophon). Afterwards he asserted supremacy over the Ionian cities, he was involved in war with the Spartans, and Agesilaus II defeated him in 395.

Xerxes I
Persian - King 486 - 465 B.C.
Born after 520 B.C., to Darius I, and Queen Atossa.
Xerxes assassinated in 465 BC
Xerxes is the Greek name for Kshayarsha which meant `ruling over heroes'. Xerxes continued with his father's preparations for the invasion of Greece and building works at Persepolis. Xerxes lead the invasion of Greece, defeating the Spartans at Thermopylai and sacking Athens.
His life was to inspire Handel's 1738 opera, 'Xerxes'.

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