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ΕλληνικάINITIAL ATLAS · ORIGIN AND EXPANSION
Map of Persia
Atlas of Persia
Follow the empire's expansion and the routes linking Pasargadae, Persepolis and Susa.
Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
Editorial visualisation · Contextual correspondence
Declared editorial visualisation, based on the cartography and sources of the fact sheet; it is not an exact historical frontier.
History and context
The map begins in Formation in Persis and allows progression through 7 phases. The documented places —Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa— appear only when they help to read the active period.
The maximum envelope changes by reign; satrapy, tribute, local autonomy and military control had varying intensities.
Evidence and interpretation
The coast derives from Natural Earth. The layers distinguish origin, core, direct control, influence, networks, disputed territories and external domains; they are approximate curatorial envelopes, not modern borders. The faint outline retains the previous phase to make each expansion, contraction or absorption visible. The maximum envelope changes by reign; satrapy, tribute, local autonomy and military control had varying intensities.
Catalogue facts
- Reading mode
- Origin, sequence and changing scope
- Sequence
- 7 phases · Formation in Persis (c. 900–559 BCE) → Conquests of Cyrus II (559–530 BCE) → Conquest of Egypt (530–522 BCE) → Darius I and maximum integration (522–486 BCE) → Rebellions and losses (486–404 BCE) → Late empire and reconquest (404–334 BCE) → Macedonian conquest (334–330 BCE)
- Nodes
- Pasargadae (6th century BCE) · Persepolis (6th–4th centuries BCE) · Susa (6th–4th centuries BCE)
- Range
- Approximate regional core.
- Caution
- The maximum envelope changes by reign; satrapy, tribute, local autonomy and military control had varying intensities.
A closer look
About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .
A political centre that changed residence
The atlas needs to show several simultaneous centres, not a fixed capital concentrating all functions. Classical authors describe seasonal court movements between Babylon, Susa and Ecbatana; Dandamayev brings together these testimonies alongside the role of Pasargadae as a coronation site. Susa received provincial reports, issued orders and hosted dignitaries. This pattern helps to read the routes between lowlands and plateau as government infrastructure. The calendar transmitted by the texts must be understood as a description of courtly practices, not as a verified itinerary for each year.
Location and territory
REGIONAL AREA
Approximate maximum envelope; control varied by reigns and regionsApproximate maximum envelope; control varied by reigns and regions. The footprint marks the indicative center of the area, not a border or an exact point.TERRITORIAL ATLAS · REAL GEOGRAPHY · CHANGING EXTENT
Atlas of Persia
Complementary capitals and roads of a plural empire
Persian lineages consolidated in Fars within Elamite, Median and Mesopotamian networks; no Achaemenid empire yet existed.
WHAT CHANGES · OriginA Persian core emerges in Fars within Elamite and Median networks, before the imperial structure is constituted.
- 01 · Pasargadae6th century BCECapital of Cyrus and palace landscape.
- 02 · Persepolis6th–4th centuries BCECeremonial centre and imperial delegations.
The maximum envelope changes by reign; satrapy, tribute, local autonomy and military control had varying intensities.
Documentation for every period
The map is interactive. The full chronology is also available below without using any controls.
c. 900–559 BCE · Formation in Persis
Persian lineages consolidated in Fars within Elamite, Median and Mesopotamian networks; no Achaemenid empire yet existed.
Origin · A Persian core emerges in Fars within Elamite and Median networks, before the imperial structure is constituted.
- Persis/Fars · c. 900–559 BCE
Approximate regional core.
Probable
559–530 BCE · Conquests of Cyrus II
Cyrus incorporated Media, Lydia and Babylon; each conquest preserved administrations and elites to varying degrees.
Expansion · Cyrus expands that core through the incorporation of Media, Lydia and Babylon, with diverse local arrangements.
- Cyrus' Empire · c. 530 BCE
Approximate envelope at the end of his reign.
Probable
530–522 BCE · Conquest of Egypt
Cambyses incorporated Egypt into the empire; the new province preserved local institutions and experienced resistance.
Expansion · The conquest of Egypt adds a large province to the inherited empire, although it retains its own offices and cults.
- Achaemenid Empire · 530–522 BCE
Territories inherited from Cyrus.
Probable - Achaemenid Egypt · from 525 BCE
Incorporated province, not a homogeneous Persian culture.
Probable
522–486 BCE · Darius I and maximum integration
Darius reorganised satrapies and extended the empire towards the Indus and Thrace; the maximum extent combined controls of uneven intensity.
Expansion · Darius extends the envelope to the Indus and Thrace and reorganises satrapies with varying intensities of control.
- Maximum Achaemenid extent · c. 500 BCE
Approximate extent; satrapy, tribute and military control are not equivalent.
Probable
486–404 BCE · Rebellions and losses
Rebellions and wars altered provinces and Egypt regained independence in 404 BCE; the empire remained a great power.
Contraction · Rebellions and wars reduce peripheral positions, and Egypt falls outside imperial control by the end of the period.
- Empire after losses · 486–404 BCE
Extent without independent Egypt at the end of the phase.
Probable
404–334 BCE · Late empire and reconquest
Artaxerxes III reconquered Egypt in 343 BCE; the recovery was late and did not restore all previous positions.
Expansion · The monarchy recovers Egypt and reconstitutes part of the perimeter, without again reaching all previous positions.
- Late Achaemenid Empire · 404–334 BCE
Approximate extent, with Egypt reincorporated from 343 BCE.
Probable
334–330 BCE · Macedonian conquest
Alexander defeated Darius III and occupied the capitals; offices, elites and imperial languages did not disappear immediately.
Absorption · Macedonian campaigns replace Achaemenid sovereignty over their main territories and capitals.
- Territories conquered by Macedonia · 334–330 BCE
Change of dynasty and imperial framework, not total cultural substitution.
Probable
Documented places
- Pasargadae · 6th century BCE
Capital of Cyrus and palace landscape.
- Persepolis · 6th–4th centuries BCE
Ceremonial centre and imperial delegations.
- Susa · 6th–4th centuries BCE
Administrative capital connected by the Royal Road.
Routes and contacts
- approximate sequence and expansion
- approximate sequence and expansion
The maximum envelope changes by reign; satrapy, tribute, local autonomy and military control had varying intensities.
Sources and references
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