Research topic: Darius I

Darius I (Darius the Great) , d. 486 BC, king of ancient Persia (521-486 BC), called also Dariavaush and Darius Hystaspis (after his father, Hystaspes or Vishtaspa). A distant cousin of Cambyses II (see under Cambyses ), he succeeded to the throne after the fall of the impostor claiming to be Smerdis . The first years of his reign were spent in putting down revolts in Persia, Media, Babylonia, and the East. He then proved himself the true successor of Cyrus the Great and one of the most able of the Achaemenids by revising and increasing Cyrus' use of the satrapies. These provi... Read more