Median kingdom 𐎶𐎠𐎭 Māda | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c. 678 BCE[a]–c. 550 BCE | |||||||||||
![]() Hypothetical map of the Median kingdom at its maximum extent | |||||||||||
Capital | Ecbatana | ||||||||||
Common languages | Median | ||||||||||
Religion | Ancient Iranian religion | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
Kings | |||||||||||
• 700–678 BCE | Deioces | ||||||||||
• 678–625 BCE | Phraortes | ||||||||||
• 625–585 BCE | Cyaxares | ||||||||||
• 585–550 BCE | Astyages | ||||||||||
Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||||
• Accession of Phraortes | c. 678 BCE[a] | ||||||||||
• Median revolt against Assyria | 672 BCE | ||||||||||
• Accession of Cyaxares | 625 BCE | ||||||||||
• Medes and Babylonians conquer Nineveh | 612 BCE | ||||||||||
585 BCE | |||||||||||
• Conquered by Cyrus the Great | c. 550 BCE | ||||||||||
|
History of Iran |
---|
![]() |
Timeline![]() |
Media (in Old Persian: 𐎶𐎠𐎭 Māda; in Greek: Μηδία Mēdía; in Akkadian: Mādāya)[1] was a political entity centered in Ecbatana that existed from the 7th century BCE until the mid-6th century BCE and is believed to have dominated a significant portion of the Iranian plateau, preceding the powerful Achaemenid Empire. The frequent interference of the Assyrians in the Zagros region led to the process of unifying the Median tribes. By 612 BCE, the Medes became strong enough to overthrow the declining Assyrian Empire in alliance with the Babylonians. However, contemporary scholarship tends to be skeptical about the existence of a united Median kingdom or state, at least for most of the 7th century BCE.[2]
According to classical historiography, Media emerged as one major power of the ancient Near East after the collapse of Assyria. Under Cyaxares (r. 625–585 BCE), the kingdom's borders were expanded to the east and west through the subjugation of neighboring peoples, such as the Persians and Armenians. Media's territorial expansion led to the formation of the first Iranian empire, which at its height would have exercised authority over more than two million square kilometers, stretching from the eastern banks of the Halys River in Anatolia to Central Asia. In this period, the Median empire was one of the great powers in the ancient Near East alongside Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. During his reign, Astyages (r. 585–550 BCE) worked to strengthen and centralize the Median state, going against the will of tribal nobility, which may have contributed to the kingdom's downfall. In 550 BCE, the Median capital, Ecbatana, was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus II, marking the beginning of the Achaemenid Empire.[3]
While it is generally accepted that the Medes played a significant role in the ancient Near East after the fall of Assyria, historians debate the existence of a Median empire or even a kingdom. Some scholars accept the existence of a powerful and organized empire that would have influenced the political structures of the later Achaemenid Empire. Others argue that the Medes formed a loose confederation of tribes rather than a centralized state.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page).