Below is the thirteenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first twelve articles in the series here.

I am Darius, the great king, king of kings, the king of Persia, the king of countries, the son of Hystaspes, the grandson of Arsames, the Achaemenid…from antiquity we have been noble; from antiquity has our dynasty been royal.

Behistun Inscription of Darius I (522-486 BC)

The Medes and Persians not only created the largest empire in the ancient world, but also treated their subjects with a degree of tolerance and respect unmatched by any empire before or since. Most of this is attributed to one man, Cyrus, one of the very few rulers in history to truly deserve being known as “the Great.” He and his successors led armies of mounted warriors to carve out a domain that eventually reached from the Indus and Himalayas in the east to the shores of the Hellespont in the west, and from the Black Sea in the north to the cataracts of the Nile in the south. Cyrus not only destroyed the kingdom of the Babylonians, but also freed the Jews from their captivity. His fame spans over 2,500 years of history. The noted ancient Greek soldier and writer, Xenophon, acknowledged Cyrus’ gifts for war and peace in his biography, the Cyropaedia. A replica of a clay cylinder inscribed with the great king’s laws has a place of honor at the United Nations, where it is acknowledged as the first declaration of human rights. No empire, even the most benign, however, is without its faults and weaknesses, as Alexander of Macedon so suddenly, severely and completely demonstrated when he tore it all down in the 330s BC.

In the game, the Medes & Persians have a choice of where to place their homeland, which reflects the duality of their civilization. The bonus Mina for having a City in or adjacent to their homeland, as well as a disk in Growth and a White disk in Competition speak to their expertise and renown as master breeders and trainers of horses for both war and peace. Those who play the Alexander the Great scenarios will get a good idea of the daunting and seemingly overwhelming challenge the young Macedonian king took upon himself to conquer that empire.

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Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Sumerians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Egyptians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Elamites

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Indus Valley Civilizations (or “Dravidians, Harappans, and Mauryans, oh my!”)

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Assyrians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Akkadians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Babylonians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Hittites

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Mittani

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Sea Peoples

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Israelites

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Cimmerians