.ANCIENT IRANIAN CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY

From Prehistory to the fall of Sasanian Dynasty

653                 Medes attack on Nineveh defeated

653-625          Scythians subjugated Medes

616                 Medes attacked Nineveh

585                 Nebuchadrezzar mediated Mede-Lydian truce

585-550         Astyages ruled Iranians

559-529         Cyrus the Great become the Emperor

553                Nabonidus recaptured Harran from Iranians

549                New Iranian Dynasty Achaemenids took over Armenia from Median Dynasty

550                Collapse if Median Dynasty and foundation of Achaemenian Dynasty by 

                      Cyrus the Great II

544                Lydia's Croesus attacked Iranians and lost empire and became part of Iranian Empire

539-538         Cyrus the Great II captures Babylon after the New Babylonian leader, Belshazaar, fails to 

                      read "the handwriting on the wall." Cyrus founds the Achaemenid Empire which lasts 

                      until331 BCE when it is conquered by Alexander II.  Cyrus returns some of the exiled 

                      Jews to Palestine; others among the Hebrews prefer to stay in Babylon and some 

                      immigrated into mainland Iran, where a second Jewish center is established, the first 

                      being the one in Jerusalem

538                The first bill of Human Right issued by Cyrus the Great

537                Cyrus the Great made Cambyses king of Babylon

529                Cyrus the Great died and leaving behind him the largest empire to date

529-522         Cambyses II ruled the Empire

525                Iranians conquered Egypt

521                Darius the Great succeeded Camnyses. He engages in many large building programs, 

                      including a system of roads. In addition, he institutes the first postal system and 

                      currency  in the world

519                Darius the Great invaded Scythia

518                Darius re-conquered Egypt

513                Hindush satrapy added to Iranian Territory

c. 512            Darius the Great invaded Western Scythians

500                Ionian cities revolted against Iranian rules

499                Ionians burned Iranian city of Sardis

498                Cypress became part of Iranians Empire

494                Iranians defeated Greek fleet off Miletus

490                Greeks defeated Iranians at Marathon

486-465          Xerxes ruled Iranian empire

482                 Babylonian Province revolt by satrap Zopyrus defeated

480                 Athens evacuated; Iranians defeated at Salamis

479                 Greeks defeated Iranians at Plataea and Mycale

479                 Ionians revolted from Iranian rule

465                 Egypt revolted against Iranian rule

464-424         Artaxerxes I ruled Iranian empire

454                 Iranian re-conquered Egypt

449                 Treaty of Callias between Athens and Iran

445-433         Nehemiah governed in Jerusalem for Iran

424-404         Darius II become king of kings

413                 Pissouthnes revolt put down in Sardis by Iran central arm forces

412                 Sparta-Persia treaty of Miletus

404                 Egypt revolted against Iranian rule

404-359          Artaxerxes II became King of Kings

401                 Cyrus the younger and his Greek mercenaries killed defeats by central Iranian armed forces at Cunaxa

396                 Egypt aided Sparta in war on Iran

394                 Iranian navy defeated Spartan navy off Cnidus

386                 Peace of Antalcidas between Greeks and Iran

380                 Iran defeated Egypt and Euagoras

367                 General Ariobarzanes revolted from Iran

367                 Iran recognized independence of Messenia

362                 Ariobarzanes killed in satrap revolt

345-343          Return of Central Iranian armed forces back to Egypt

336-330          Darius III became King of Kings

335                 Macedonians attacked Western Iranian territory of Ionian coast

334-323         Alexander's army conquered most of Iran

334                Alexander's army conquered Achaemenid satrapy of Lydia

331                 Macedonian army defeated Iranians at Gaugamela

330                 Alexander's army burnt down Persepolis palace and Part of Imperial library transferred to Greece

329                 Alexander army conquered North-East of Iranian city of Arachosia

327                Alexander army conquered North-East of Iranian city of Soghdiana

324                Alexander and 80 officers wed Iranians

321-301         Antigonus I ruled over Iranian satrapies in Asia Minor area

312-280         Seleucus I ruled  Iran (including Mesopotamia)

301-266         Mithridates I ruled Pontus

c. 250             Bactria led by Diodotus became independent from Seleucids

175                 Bactrians invaded northern Mauryan empire

c. 171-155      Eucratides I ruled Bactria

171-138         Mithridates I ruled Parthia

c. 170             Bactrian king Demetrius II conquered northwest India

169                Seleucid army invaded Bactria

c. 155-130     Menander ruled Bactria

c. 150-120     Mithridates V ruled Pontus

140                 Mithridates I captured Seleucid ruler Demetrius II

123- 86          Mithridates the Great  II became King of Kings and ruled Parthian Empire

c. 120-63        Mithridates VI ruled Pontus

105                 Chinese envoys reached Iran

104                 Mithridates VI occupied Galatia and Cappadocia

88                   Mithridates VI invaded Bithynia and Asia Minor

74                   Mithridates VI invaded Bithynia; Rome sent Lucullus

69                   Roman army led by Lucullus invaded Armenia

57-37             Orodes became King of Kings of Parthia dynasty

53                  Crassus killed invading Iran

CE _______________________________________________________________

224                Artabanus V of Arsacid dynasty overthrown

224                 Ardashir founded Sasanian dynasty

226-242          Ardashir ruled the Iranian empire

230                 Iranians besieged Nisibis

242-272          Shapur I became King of Kings

255                 Mani killed

259                 Iranians defeated Roman Empire and captured their Emperor Valerian

276-293         Vahram II became King of Kings

282                 Romans invaded Iranian capital Ctesiphon and Seleucia area

291                 Sisin I the Manichean leader killed  

296                 Iranian defeated the Roman army of Galerius near Carrhae

296                 Diocletian persecuted Manicheans in Egypt and Africa

303                 Innai Manichean leader executed  

331-338          Khosrov II reigned over Armenia

c. 344             Army of Constantius defeated the Iranians

350                 King of Kings  Shapur II made treaty with Kushanas

383-388          Shapur III became King of Kings

389                 Manichean property was confiscated in Rome

399-421         Yazdgard I became King of Kings

421-438         Vahram V became King of Kings

430                Arsaces died in Armenia, ending Arsacid dynasty in Armenia

438-459         Yazdgard II became King of Kings

459-484         Peroz became King of Kings

488-531         Kavadh became King of Kings

c. 490            Mazdak taught socialist sharing

499                Kavadh took the throne back from his brother Zamasp

502                Kavadh retaken Armenia from Romans

505                Kavadh agreed to a truce with Celer

528                Prince Xerxes led an army of 30,000 into Near-East and defeated the Roman army

530                Roman troops met Iranian army in Syria

531-579         Chosroes became King of Kings

532                Peace treaty with the Rome

542                Iranians conquered Callinicum

544                Iranians besieged Edessa

551-556         Iranian truce with Rome was renewed

552-554         Narses the Armenian patriarch invaded Italy with an army of 25,000

c. 560            Iranians destroyed the Ephthalites

562                Chosroes and Justinian signed a 50-year treaty.

571                Armenians defeated 15,000 Iranian central army

574                Iranians defeated Roman Empire and captured Antioch and 292,000 prisoners

579-590         Hormizd IV became King of Kings

590-628         Chosroes II became King of Kings

605                Iranian army conquered Syria, Palestine, and Phoenicia

608                Iranian army invaded Cappadocia

614                General Shahr-Boraz captured Jerusalem and sent the Christian holy Cross to Iran

619                General Shahin invaded Egypt and conquered Alexandria

626                Constantinople was attacked Iranians forces and Avars

628                Khusrau II was deposed and murdered by his son

637                Arabs defeated Iranian army; Basra was founded

651                Yazdgard III was killed at Marv

Dynasty of Shimashki and Suikkalmah 2100-1600BCE

Middle-Elamite 1600-1100BCE

New Elamite 1100-550BCE

Median Dynasty 728-550BCE

Achaemenid Dynasty 550-330BCE

Parthian Dynasty 278BCE - 224CE

Sasanian Dynasty 224 - 640CE

1500-800 BCE    The major Aryan migration to the Iranian plateau from central Asia.

Daiy Cyrus the Great established the Persian Empire in 550 BC

559-530 BCE    Cyrus the Great established the Persian Empire in 550 BC, the first world empire. His respect for local traditions, laws, languages, and religions set the foundation of a relatively benevolent empire.

539 BC -- Babylonia surrendered peacefully to Cyrus the Great. Welcomed as a liberator because of his compassionate policies, Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and assisted them to migrate to their homeland and to reconstruct their temple in Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, in the Book of Isaiah, Cyrus is hailed as the Shepherd of the Lord. I am Cyrus, King of the World. When I entered Babylon I did not allow anyone to terrorize the land. I kept in view the needs of its people and all its sanctuaries to promote their well being. I put an end to their misfortune. The great God has delivered all lands into my hand, the lands that I have made to dwell in peaceful habitation.

522-486 BC -- The reign of Darius the Great marked the zenith of the Persian Empire. Upholding the tradition established by Cyrus the Great, Darius valued the rights of all people under his rule. The following inscription appears on his tomb: By the favor of the great God I believe in justice and abhor inequity. It is not my desire that the weak man should have wrong done to him by the mighty....Darius' goal was to be a great law-giver and organizer. He structured the empire under the satrapy system (similar to national and local governments). He built many roads, ports, banking houses (the word "check" comes from Old Persian), elaborate underground irrigation systems and a canal to link the Nile to the Red Sea (an early precursor of the Suez Canal). In the 19th century, archeologists in Egypt discovered an inscription by Darius commemorating the completion of the canal: I am a Persian. I commanded to dig this canal from a river by name of Nile which flows in Egypt....After this canal was dug, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, thus as was my desire.

Darius revolutionized mankind's economic activities by introducing one of the earliest (certainly the first on such a massive scale) forms of common coinage in history, the darik. This initiative, along with the standardization of weights and measures and the codification of commercial laws, stimulated world trade and elevated the Persian Empire's economy to new levels of prosperity.

Reflecting the wealth and the multi-cultural dimension of the Persian Empire, Darius initiated the building of the Persepolis palace. For its construction, artisans and materials were gathered from different corners of the empire. Another project undertaken by Darius was the royal road, the world's longest, extending 1,500 miles (see map). Due to an extensive network of relays, postmen could travel the road in six to nine days, whereas normal travel time was three months. The motto of the Persian postal service became memorable: stopped by neither snow, rain, heat or gloom of night. The US postal service also adopted this motto and the famous Pony Express mail delivery resembled the original Persian design. The origins of polo date back to this time. Persian nobility played an early form of polo for both sport and combat training.

490-479 BC -- In their wars with Persia, the Greek city-states were never a threat to the Persian heartland. What Persia did not achieve through war, it obtained through diplomacy. After the Persian-Greek wars ended, Persian kings successfully played the Athenians and Spartans against each other for 150 years. Persia's financial and naval assistance was instrumental in Sparta's victory over Athens in the Great Peloponnesian War. Afterwards, Persia began supporting the Athenians. The Persian influence over the two Greek city-states was such that the Persian King Artaxerxes II was asked to mediate between them, leading to the King's Peace of 387 BC.

550-334 BC -- The Persian Empire became the dominant world power for over two centuries. It made possible the first significant and continuous contact between East and West. It was the world's first religiously tolerant empire and consisted of a multitude of different languages, races, religions and cultures. Prior to the rise of the Roman Empire, it set a precedent for the importance of the rule of law, a powerful centralized army and an efficient and systematic state administration. However, the greatest legacy of the Persian Empire was that it demonstrated for the first time how diverse peoples can culturally flourish and economically prosper under one central government.

334 BC -- Alexander Invaded Persia. After his victory over the Persian army, he ordered the execution of many Persians, allowed his troops to indulge themselves in plunder and rape and, in a drunken rage, set torch to Persepolis. However, he also considered himself a successor to Achaemenian Kings and paid tribute to Cyrus the Great at his tomb. He emulated Persian court customs and attempted to create a new culture, a mixture of both Persian and Hellenistic. He married a Persian woman (Roxana) and ordered all his generals and 10,000 of his soldiers to follow suit in a mass wedding.

323 BC -- Alexander died. Although a masterful general, he lacked administrative skills. Shortly after his death, his empire was divided among his contesting generals. An important legacy of his conquest of Persia was the introduction of the Persian imperial practices into the West. Many of these practices ­ particularly those relating to state administration and the rule of law ­ were later adopted by the Roman Empire.

323-141 BC -- The Seleucid Dynasty was established by one of Alexander's generals.

247 BC-224 AD -- The Parthians, a tribal kingdom from northeastern Iran, gradually defeated the Greek Seleucids and consolidated their control over all of Persia. The name of the founder of the dynasty, Arsaces, became the title of all Parthian kings in much the same way that the name of Caesar was later to become the title of all Roman emperors. They fought numerous times with the Romans. Their victory over the Romans in 53 BC elevated the Parthians into a superpower of their era. The Romans were especially in awe of the expert mobile Parthian archers (hence the term: the Parthian Shot) who inflicted enormous casualties upon successive Roman armies. Although the Parthians ruled for almost five centuries, very little of their civilization has survived, except for some small art objects.

224 -- Ardeshir I founded the Sasanian dynasty. The Sasanians revived Persian culture and Zoroastrianism and made a conscious effort to return to the Achaemenian norms. They sponsored trade both with their arch-enemy, the Romans/Byzantines, and the Chinese. Excavations in China have unearthed gold and silver Sasanian coins covering a span of many centuries.

260 -- Shahpur I invaded the Roman Empire and took Emperor Valerian prisoner. He also established Jondi Shahpur, a major center of higher learning.

274 -- Mani, the founder of Manichaeism, tried to introduce a new universal world religion, combining elements of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Buddhism.

528 -- Mazdak advocated abolition of private property, the division of wealth, as well as nonviolence and vegetarianism. His ideas brought about a major class struggle between the peasants and the nobility. He could be considered the world's first "communist/socialist."

531-579 -- The reign of Khosrow I (Anushiravan) marked the height of the Sasanian dynasty. He promoted scholarship and sponsored the translation of Indian and Greek scientific and medical texts into Middle Persian or Pahlavi, Persia's native language. By the time of Khosrow I, Jondi Shahpur's library had amassed one of the largest collections of books in the world. He also gave refuge and financial assistance to philosophers fleeing oppression in the Byzantine Empire. Khosrow I was also a populist king, possibly a reflection of Mazdak's ideology and the civil conflicts that subsequently ensued. He made himself available to all his subjects; anyone could rattle his chain of justice and have an audience with the king. His famous prime minister, Bozorgmehr, reportedly invented the game of backgammon.

570 -- The Prophet Mohammad was born.

608-622 -- The long war between the Sasanians and the Byzantines significantly weakened both sides.

622 -- Fearing persecution for his beliefs, the Prophet Mohammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. His migration or Hijra marked the birth of Islamic civilization and the starting point of all Islamic calendars. God conveyed the beliefs of Islam to the Prophet Mohammad through the angel Gabriel in a series of visions and revelations. Muslims consider the Prophet Mohammad as the last prophet in a line of prophets that includes the prophets Moses and Jesus.

629-632 -- Two consecutive female monarchs ruled over the Sasanian Empire, Purandokht and her sister Azarmidokht. Purandokht signed a peace treaty with the Byzantines.

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