The Achaemenid empire (ca. 550-330 B.C.) was the first world empire, founded by Cyrus II in Southwest Iran and lower Mesopotamia. Populated by peoples of different backgrounds, languages and cultures, ...
For the kings of the Achaemenid Empire, who ruled much of the ancient Near East from 550 to 330 B.C., there was little—apart from hunting lions and conquering the world—that rivaled a rhyton ...