Persia was one of the most significant empires in the ancient world and a superpower to boot and when it was at its peak it even had Egypt under its rule.  The empire corresponds in today's world with the country of Iran, which also is what remains of Mesopotamia and the city of Babylon.  I think it means something when some of the most powerful nations in the ancient world appear in the same place. It was considered a nation of barbarians by Mesopotamia and Rome, (But they got the Romans back for it after a few century's), the Terrain was arid and full of mountains, and they were known for being warriors on horseback.  During the seventh century B.C.E a collection of clans known as the Medes ruled over Persia and eventually would rule over territory's far beyond the borders of the modern country of Iran. 

Link to Image: https://www.thoughtco.com/extent-of-ancient-persia-112507

The Medes were closely allied with the Babylonians and were part of a large cue against them, that was successful. After reigning over the Iranian plateau for years. a King named Cyrus II the Great led a group of Persians and conquered and absorbed the Medes into his army and ruled over Babylon, not much of Babylon remains and what is known about Persian is inscribed on artifacts like this Cyrus pillar, that was used as propaganda during Cyrus's rule over Babylon.   Cyrus began a campaign of conquest that lasted 20 years and turned Persian into a great empire.  His conquest of Anatoli and by extension Lydia eventually put him on path with Greek Ionia and thus began the war with the and Conquest of the Greeks. Cyrus instead of punishing the Greeks let them keep their culture and practices and only demanded tribute and loyal warrior and even appointed loyal Greeks in positions of power, the Greeks who lived under his rule did not find Persian ruling particularly oppressive. Which is interesting as Most ancient empires of that size would have sold the citizens into slavery and destroyed their culture.

Link to Image: https://blogs.nvcc.edu/westernciv/history-of-western-civilization/western-civilizations-his-101/volume-1-chapter-5-persia-and-the-greek-wars/

Cyrus II rule was unique as his rule had 2 main principles, Descent from other great kings and the favor of the gods. Remember it was the kings' job to ensure the gods laws were being followed as he was made king by the gods. The people offered sacrifices to them in exchange for strength harvests and blessings.  Cyrus himself was descended of a supreme line of kings and an agent of the patron god of the Persian empire on earth Ahura Mazda on earth meaning he was both granted the right to rule in the god's stead, but he also had to obey the god's laws and pay proper tribute lest he anger them.  Cyrus continued the tradition of both looking for loyal allies and treated those he conquered fairly. 

Link to Image: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cyrus-the-great-11377.php

The Persian government was not only powerful but large to and the time it took for messages to be sent could cause loyal subjects to make decisions the king would disagree with, so the Current king of the Persian empire, Darius I ha d a genius Idea, He created what was Probably the ancient world's first postal service.   There were many roads that spread throughout the empire and they hast stations where messengers could exchange parcels and horses, and they had a royal road the connected straight to the capital, and on the road a messenger could make over 1,600 miles over a week, that is the ancient equivalent of a Ferrari. Darius seriously thought ahead when he made this and he could still control his empire even when he wasn;t there. The Romans should have taken a page out of his book, they could have avoided the fall.

Link to Image: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5515/persian-royal-road/

Darius I was probably the Greatest Persian king in history.  He revolutionized his empire, which was massive and created the first postal service in a time were receiving information and relaying orders quickly was a must for both ruling and continent spending empire and changing the tide of a battle or war. Darius was known for many things during his reign while not the rightful heir his actions speak for themselves, he was a master builder, as he created the road systems that spread throughout the empire, he organized his massive empire into state/ city districts and had the pay taxes of whatever valuables they had among other things.   Darius was succeeded by his son Xerxes (Known from the movie three hundred and I do not think he was actually that tall), but he and Darius III were poisoned by the eunuch Bagoas. After his defeat by Alexander the great in 331 B.C.E he was forced to flee and eventually died.

Citation: "Date Palms and Dates." In The Ancient Near East: An Encyclopedia for Students, edited by Ronald Wallenfels and Jack M. Sasson, 27. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. Gale In Context: World History (accessed October 25, 2024). https://link-gale-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/apps/doc/CX2897300110/WHIC?u=viva2_nvcc&sid=bookmark-WHIC&xid=c22116e9. 

Link to article: https://go-gale-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Biographies&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&retrievalId=0c4597c3-6476-4b2a-bb4b-b630d94683ba&hitCount=1&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCX2897300110&docType=Biography&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=9780684315935&prodId=WHIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX2897300110&searchId=R3&userGroupName=viva2_nvcc&inPS=true

Link to Image: https://brewminate.com/alexander-the-greats-defeat-of-darius-at-the-battle-of-the-granicus-river-334-bce/