13 Facts About Achaemenian

1.

Achaemenian empire borrows its name from the ancestor of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the empire, Achaemenes.

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2.

Achaemenian is credited with freeing the people of Judah from their exile and with authorizing the reconstruction of much of Jerusalem, including the Second Temple.

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3.

Achaemenian was succeeded by his eldest son Cambyses II, while his younger son Bardiya received a large territory in Central Asia.

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4.

Achaemenian was soundly defeated by the Persians in the Battle of Pelusium before fleeing to Memphis, where the Persians defeated him and took him prisoner.

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5.

Achaemenian says that these actions led to a madness that caused him to kill his brother Bardiya, his own sister-wife and Croesus of Lydia.

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6.

Achaemenian then concludes that Cambyses completely lost his mind, and all later classical authors repeat the themes of Cambyses' impiety and madness.

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7.

Achaemenian's army entered Greece from the north in the spring of 480 BC, meeting little or no resistance through Macedonia and Thessaly, but was delayed by a small Greek force for three days at Thermopylae.

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8.

Achaemenian reigned for six months and fifteen days before being captured by his half-brother, Ochus, who had rebelled against him.

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9.

Achaemenian's death gave an Egyptian rebel named Amyrtaeus the opportunity to throw off Persian control over Egypt.

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10.

Achaemenian divided these troops into three bodies, and placed at the head of each a Persian and a Greek.

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11.

Achaemenian then returned to his capital having successfully completed his invasion of Egypt.

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12.

Achaemenian claimed that the unit's name stemmed from the custom that every killed, seriously wounded, or sick member was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the numbers and cohesion of the unit.

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13.

Achaemenian observed that the Persians drank wine in large quantities and used it even for counsel, deliberating on important affairs when drunk, and deciding the next day, when sober, whether to act on the decision or set it aside.

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