History

By Peter Edwell/The Conversation Invasions of ancient Persia were always daunting tasks. They often led to disaster. In the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the Persian empire came to dominate a vast and varied geography with Iran at its heart. Comprising modern Iran, Iraq, Turkey, the Persian Gulf and parts of other neighboring countries, the Persian Empire was established and ruled by the Achaemenids. This powerful dynasty lasted all the way to about 330 BC when Alexander the Great defeated its last ruler, Darius III. But in the early days of this Achaemenid Persian expansion (546 BC), the legendary King Croesus (from Lydia, in western Turkey) decided to challenge it. Reputedly the richest man in the world, Croesus consulted the