Founded in West Asia in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire was a former Iranian dynasty. Cyrus the Great founded it. Under Xerxes I, the Achaemenid dynasty expanded to its greatest extent, spanning from the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe in the west to up to the Indian border in the east. The empire, which spanned 5.5 million square kilometres, was the biggest in history up to that point (2.1 million square miles). The founder of the Achaemenid Empire, Cyrus the Great, was a related descendant of Achaemenes, from whom the empire took its name. It was the Persian nomads who created the Achaemenid Empire. Around 1000 B.C., Iranians known as the Persians came in what is now Iran and coexisted with the local Elamites in regions such as northwest Iran, the Zagros Mountains and Persis. Cyrus rebelled against the Medes in 553 BC. Around 550 BC, he overthrew the Medes, subjugated the Astyages, and took control of Ecbatana, the centre of Medes power. The Hebrew Bible relates that King Cyrus freed the Hebrew prisoners of war in Babylon after Babylon fell in order to rebuild Jerusalem, including the Second Temple, and that this earned him a respectable position in Judaism. In The Achaemenid Empire the most respected and worshipped deity was Mithra. The Achaemenid dynasty is praised for having a unique quality of religious tolerance. Varuna and Mithra were the two main deities revered in ancient Iranian religion from Iran to Rome, but Agni was also adored as names of monarchs and members of the general public displaying dedication to these three appear in the majority of cases. However, certain groups, who were the forerunners of the Magi, also praised Ahura Mazda, the leader of the Asuras. Zoroastrianism made its way to southwest Iran during the Achaemenid Empire, where its kings welcomed it and it eventually formed a significant part of Persian culture. The Religion included various innovative concepts, such as free will, in addition to the old Iranian concept of the Pantheon and the formalisation of the Gods. Zoroastrianism spread throughout the empire under the patronage of the Achaemenid kings, and by the fifth century BC, it had become the official religion of the realm. [Information and Image Credit : Achaemenid_Empire, Wikipedia] [Image 1: Standard of Cyrus the Great ; 2: Growth of the Achaemenid Territories on Map; 3: The tomb of Cyrus the Great, who established the Achaemenid Empire, at Pasargadae, Iran; 4: According to the Bible, Cyrus the Great is credited with releasing the Hebrew prisoners held in Babylon to return and rebuild Jerusalem, gaining Him a prestigious position in Judaism; ] [Images Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported , Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International and Faithful photographic Reproduction of a two-dimensional, Public Domain Work of Art (Please Also Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Links: 1. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en 2. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Original Source Image URL: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_of_Cyrus_the_Great.svg 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Achaemenid_Empire_under_different_kings_(flat_map).svg 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pasargad_Tomb_Cyrus3.jpg 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cyrus_II_le_Grand_et_les_H%C3%A9breux.jpg ]
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