Achaemenid Empire

Achaemenid Empire (558 BC – 330 BC), also known as the Persian Empire, was founded by Cyrus the Great (558–530 BC).

According to the inscription of Darius I (522—486 BC), the Achaemenid Empire spanned from Central Asia to Ethiopia and from the Indus Valley to the shores of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. The Achaemenid Empire was divided into 20 satrapies (military-administrative districts). According to Herodotus, the Georgian tribes living in the southern regions of historical Colchis, on the southeastern Black Sea coast — the Moschi, the Tibareni, the Macrones and the Mossynoeci — were part of the 19^th satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire and paid three hundred talents annually. Although, the Colchis living further north were not included in the satrapies, they were obliged to train an auxiliary army and offer 100 boys and 100 girls as a tribute to the Persians every five years. The last king of the Achaemenid Empire, Darius III (336–330 BC), was defeated by Alexander the Great, after which the Achaemenid Empire ceased to exist.

Literature: Дандамаев М. А., Иран при первых Ахеменидах, М., 1963; Дьяконов М. М., Очерк истории древнего Ирана, М., 1961.

Z. Kiknadze