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Darius I

Type Figure Region Persia Time c. -550–-486 Also known as Darius I、Darius the Great、大流士大帝、Darayavaush

Darius I, third ruler of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (born ca. 550 BCE, died 486 BCE), seized the throne by quelling internal revolts, expanded the…

Timeline

  1. c. -550–-522Pasargadae · Fars ProvinceOf Achaemenid noble birth, he served as royal horsemaster to Cambyses II. After Cambyses' sudden death in 522 BCE, he suppressed usurpers across the empire, defeated the false Bardiya, and laid the foundation for his accession.
  2. -522–-490Persepolis · Fars ProvinceHe instituted a system of over twenty provinces with governors, unified currency and measures, and built royal roads and canals. He conquered Thrace and the Indus Valley, and proclaimed royal authority and legal order in the Behistun Inscription.
  3. -490–-486Susa · Khuzestan ProvinceBecause Athens and Eretria supported the Ionian revolt at Miletus, he launched the first Greco-Persian War; the Persian army was checked at Marathon. In his later years he prepared another expedition and died in 486 BCE, succeeded by his son Xerxes.

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