1001 Space Earth Nature History First Civilisations Ancient Egypt Biblical Times Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Chinese, Japanese Civilisations Indian Civilisation African Civilisation The Early Americas The Rise of Islam The Middle Ages The Renaissance Civil War and Revolution The Industrial Revolution Two World Wars 20th-century Achievements Human World Science and Technology

When was the Persian Empire? Cyrus, who became king of the Persians in 559 BC, founded the Persian Empire, which was very powerful for the next 200 years. The Persians defeated Babylon in 539 BC and Egypt in 525 BC. They also conquered the Indus Valley region of present-day Pakistan. But they were finally defeated by the Greeks. In 331 BC, the empire was taken over by Alexander the Great. The armies of Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire, which was split up when Alexander died.   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: History Chapter: First Civilisations