Before Alexander the Great or the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire existed as one of the most powerful and complex empires of the ancient world.
insider.si.edu: Persia ancient Iran and the classical world edited by Jeffrey Spier, Timothy Potts, and Sara E. Cole
The Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC -- Map -- Time Line of Achaemenid Kings -- Persia Before the Persians / Timothy Potts -- Shifting Identities in Pre-Achaemenid Iran: Elamites, Medes, and Persians / ...
Persia ancient Iran and the classical world edited by Jeffrey Spier, Timothy Potts, and Sara E. Cole
The history of Iran (also known as Persia) is intertwined with Greater Iran, which is a region encompassing all of the areas that have witnessed significant settlement or influence by the Iranian peoples and the Iranian languages – chiefly the Persians and the Persian language. Central to this region is the Iranian plateau, now covered by modern Iran. The most pronounced impact of Iranian ...
Thus the word Persia is an exonym, a name that is given to a group of people by an outside force. Greek legend associated the name Persia with Perseus, giving him a fictional son, Perses, from whom the Persian people stemmed. Dan talks to Ali Ansari about the history of Iran, and discovers just how much of it there is.
Persia, historic region of southwestern Asia associated with the area that is now modern Iran. The people of that region have traditionally called their country Iran, ‘Land of the Aryans.’ That name was officially adopted in 1935. Learn more about Persia in this article.
Ancient Persia is known for the establishment of the first postal system, agricultural innovations, significant rights for women, religious tolerance, early refrigeration and air conditioning, and the Persian rug among many other cultural contributions.