Assessment of the political history of the Achaemenid Period until the peace of Callias: 550-449 Bce

Achaemenids named after Achaemenes, founder of the dynasty, subdued Medes by defeating Astyages the king of Medes in 550 BCE, under the influential leadership of Kyros II and founded the Persian Empire. In 547/6 BCE, the Persian Empire destroyed the Lydian Kingdom which was an important power in Western Anatolia and began to reign in a wide geography from modern Iran to Sardeis. In the ongoing process, they have expanded to different regions by means of successful military conquests. As a result of this expansionism, the Persian Empire incorporated numerous communities under its reign and in order to control this vast geography, the Persian kings employed administrators called "satrap". Persian rule was weakened due to the outbreak of the war between Persians and Greeks in the 5th century BCE. They could not continue the expansionism policy and as a result, the declension has started. After the Peace of Callias in 449 BCE, the wars between Persians and Greeks came to an end and Persians had to recognize the Greek presence in the Aegean Sea and Western Anatolia. In this thesis, the geography of modern Iran, the kingdoms whose traces were found dating to the period before Persians and the processes of rise and decline of the Persian Empire have been evaluated. In the scope of the research, Ancient Greek sources which provide the most detailed information about this period are taken into account. In addition, Old Persian cuneiform texts and archaeological findings that show the presence of the Persians in various regions such as Iran, Anatolia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia are included in this study. Starting from the foundation of the empire until the Peace of Callias in 449 BCE, political activities, geographical expansions and administration policies of the Achaemenids are evaluated in accordance with these sources.