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|footnotes = a. ^ Native language. b. ^ Official language and ''lingua franca''.〔Josef Wiesehöfer, ''Ancient Persia'', (I.B. Tauris Ltd, 2007), 119.〕 c. ^ Literary language in Babylonia. }} The Achaemenid Empire (; ), also called the , was an empire based in Western Asia, founded by Cyrus the Great, notable for embracing various civilizations and becoming the largest empire of the ancient history, spanning at its maximum extent from the Balkans and Eastern Europe proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. It is equally notable for its successful model of a centralised, bureaucratic administration (through satraps under a king) and a government working to the profit of its subjects, for building infrastructure such as a postal system and road systems and the use of an official language across its territories and a large professional army and civil services (inspiring similar systems in later empires),〔Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty)〕 and for emancipation of slaves including the Jewish exiles in Babylon, and is noted in Western history as the antagonist of the Greek city states during the Greco-Persian Wars. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built in the empire as well. By the 7th century BC, the Persians〔http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/opeol-MG-X.html Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index. This is based on the evidence of an Assyrian inscription of 844 BC referring to the Persians as ''Paršu'', and the Behistun Inscription of Darius I referring to ''Pārsa'' as the area of the Persians. Radhakumud Mookerji (1988). ''Chandragupta Maurya and His Times'' (p. 23). Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 81-208-0405-8.〕 had settled in the southwestern portion of the Iranian plateau in the region of Persis, which came to be their heartland, and with Babylon as their main capital. From this region, Cyrus the Great advanced to defeat the Kingdom of Media, the Kingdom of Lydia, and the Babylonian Empire, and established the Achaemenid Empire, which, at its greatest extent, stretched from the Balkans and Eastern Europe proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east, and included all modern territories of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, all significant population centers of Ancient Egypt as far west as Libya, Thrace-Macedonia and Bulgaria-Paeonia, the Black Sea coastal regions of Romania, Ukraine, and Russia, all of Abkhazia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and parts of the North Caucasus, much of Central Asia, Afghanistan;〔〔〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=DĀḠESTĀN (iranicaonline.org) )〕 encompassing around 8 million square kilometers across three continents, making it the largest empire in the ancient world.〔 With some population estimates of 50 million in 480 BC,〔〔While estimates for the Achaemenid Empire range from 10–80+ million, most prefer 50 million. Prevas ((2009, p. 14 )) estimates 10 million. Strauss ((2004, p. 37 )) estimates about 20 million. Ward ((2009, p. 16 )) estimates at 20 million. Scheidel ((2009, p. 99 )) estimates 35 million. Daniel ((2001, p. 41 )) estimates at 50 million. Meyer and Andreades ((2004, p. 58 )) estimates to 50 million. Jones ((2004, p. 8 )) estimates over 50 million. Richard ((2008, p. 34 )) estimates nearly 70 million. Hanson ((2001, p. 32 )) estimates almost 75 million. Cowley ((1999 and 2001, p. 17 )) estimates possibly 80 million.〕 the Achaemenid Empire at its peak was one of the empires with the highest share of the global population. The delegation of power to local governments is thought to have eventually weakened the king's authority, causing resources to be expended in attempts to subdue local rebellions, and leading to the disunity of the region at the time of Alexander the Great's invasion in 334 BC.〔 This viewpoint, however, is challenged by some modern scholars who argue that the Achaemenid Empire was not facing any such crisis around the time of Alexander, and that only internal succession struggles within the Achaemenid family ever came close to weakening the empire.〔 Alexander, an avid admirer of Cyrus the Great, would eventually cause the collapse of the empire and its disintegration around 330 BC into what later became the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Seleucid Empire, in addition to other minor territories which gained independence at that time. However, the Persian population of the central plateau continued to thrive and eventually reclaimed power by the 2nd century BC.〔 The historical mark of the Achaemenid Empire went far beyond its territorial and military influences and included cultural, social, technological and religious influences as well. Many Athenians adopted Achaemenid customs in their daily lives in a reciprocal cultural exchange, some being employed by, or allied to the Persian kings. The impact of Cyrus the Great's Edict of Restoration is mentioned in Judeo-Christian texts and the empire was instrumental in the spread of Zoroastrianism as far east as China. Even Alexander the Great adopted some of its customs, venerating the Persian kings including Cyrus the Great, and receiving proskynesis as they did, despite Macedonian disapproval.〔Arrian, (''Anabasis Alexandri'' VII, 11 )〕〔Plutarch, (''Alexander,'' 45 )〕 The Persian Empire would also set the tone for the politics, heritage and history of modern Iran, as well as the direct further course of history of Greece and the rest of Europe. ==History== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Achaemenid Empire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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