ABSTRACT

The homeland of the Persian empire was the western and larger part of the Iranian plateau, which stretches from the Mesopotamian valley on the west to the Indus valley on the east, and from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south. In the ninth century, the Iranians are also moving into the light of history, as their several most famous tribes—the Medes and the Persians—appear in the written records of Assyria. Cambyses II, son and successor of Cyrus II, accomplished the major task yet remaining for the establishment of Persian rule in the entire Middle East, namely the subjugation of Egypt. The sovereignty of the Persians was established, but the Medes had equal honor with them; and foreigners spoke of either “the Persians and the Medes” or “the Medes and Persians”. Like the land of the Medes, the land of the Persians is mentioned many times in the Assyrian texts.