Achaemenid Empire

The Achaemenid Empire was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in the Iranian plateau, it became the largest empire of its time, stretching from the Balkans and Cyrenaica in the west to the Indus Valley in the east, encompassing Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and parts of Central Asia. Cyrus established this new imperial polity by defeating Media, Lydia, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Despite successful conquests in most regions, attempts to expand into Greece proved difficult. The empire was ultimately conquered by Alexander the Great in 330 BC and annexed into his Macedonian Empire.