Ancient Persia Trivia

At its height, the Persian Empire stretched from the Indus Valley to the shores of the Aegean, held together by roads, relay riders, and a surprisingly tolerant approach to ruling many peoples at once. See how much you know about Cyrus, Darius, and the empire they built.

Cyrus, Darius, and an Empire of Many Peoples

The Achaemenid Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BCE, grew into the largest empire the ancient world had yet seen. Rather than erasing the cultures it absorbed, Persian administration generally let conquered peoples keep their own laws, languages, and religions in exchange for tribute and loyalty.

• Cyrus the Great is remembered for freeing captive peoples, including the Judean exiles held in Babylon.
• Darius I organized the empire into provinces called satrapies and built the Royal Road to speed communication.
• Xerxes I led the famous invasion of Greece that included the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis.

Faith and Legacy

Persian religious life was shaped by Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest religions built around a moral struggle between light and darkness. The Achaemenid line ended when Alexander the Great conquered Persia, though Persian culture and identity endured for centuries afterward under the Parthians and Sassanians.