Darius I

Introduction & Top Questions
Ascent to monarchy
Fortification of the empire
Darius as an administrator

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Bas-relief detail showing Xerxes I standing and Darius I seated, both with beards and elaborate robes, from the treasury at Persepolis, now in the Archaeological Museum in Tehran.

Ruins of the royal residence (looking south) at Persepolis, Iran, begun by Darius I and completed during the reigns of Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I, Achaemenian period, late 6th–4th century bc.

Darius I seated before two incense burners, detail of a bas-relief of the north courtyard in the Treasury at Persepolis, late 6th–early 5th century bc; in the Archaeological Museum, Tehrān

At a Glance

Darius I summary

Quizzes

Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.

Artists, Painters, & Architects

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.

Ancient Greece

Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.

Architecture: The Built World

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Athens and Eretria support the Ionian Revolt?
How did Darius I defeat the rebellions that followed his accession?
How did Darius I organize the Persian Empire into satrapies?
How did Darius I standardize coinage, weights, and measures?
How did Darius I strengthen the Achaemenid Empire?
How did Darius I’s government treat the local religions and customs of conquered peoples?
How did Scythian tactics force Darius I to retreat from Europe?
How did the Battle of Marathon affect Darius I’s plans for Greece?
How did the Bisotun inscription describe Darius I’s claim to the throne?
How did the Persian Royal Road help Darius I govern the empire?
How many rebel leaders did Darius I say he defeated in the Bisotun inscription?
What buildings did Darius I construct at Susa?
What did Darius I do to support Egyptian religious institutions?
What happened to Mardonius’s fleet near Mount Athos in 492 BCE?
What law reforms did Darius I order in Egypt?
What was an apadana in Achaemenid architecture?
When and how did Darius I die?
When did Darius I rule the Achaemenid Empire?
Which languages were used in the Bisotun inscription?
Which territories did Darius I add to the Persian Empire in the Indian subcontinent?
Who led the Persian force defeated at the Battle of Marathon?
Who was Bardiya, and why did Darius I have him killed?
Who was Gaumata in Darius I’s account of his rise to power?
Who were the king’s eyes and ears in the Achaemenid Empire?
Why did Darius I campaign against the Scythians?
Why did Darius I plan an invasion of Greece?
Why did Darius I seek control over Thrace and Macedonia?
Why did the Persian army land at Marathon in 490 BCE?
Why do some modern historians question Darius I’s story about Gaumata?
Why was Darius I unable to launch a third expedition against Greece?
Why was the Persian homeland of Fars exempt from imperial taxes?
Why was the canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea important to the Persian Empire?
How did Darius the Great come to power?
How was Darius the Great influential?
What problems did Xerxes I face when he became king?
Why did Xerxes I go to war with the Greeks?
How successful was Xerxes I in the first part of his war with the Greeks?
What was the turning point for Xerxes I in his invasion of Greece?
Why was Cyrus the Great “great”?
How did Cyrus the Great become king?
What did Cyrus the Great conquer?
What ancient sources mention Cyrus the Great?

Politics, Law & Government World Leaders Kings

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External Websites

Encyclopaedia Iranica - Darius I the Great
Livius - Biography of Darius the Great
Tour Egypt - Darius I
Iran Chamber Society - Darius The Great

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Darius I - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Darius I - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Darius I

king of Persia

Also known as: Darayavaush, Darius the Great

Written by

J.M. Munn-Rankin

Lecturer in Near Eastern History, University of Cambridge, 1949–81. Contributor to The Cambridge Ancient History.

J.M. Munn-Rankin

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Darius I (born 550 bce—died 486) was the king of Persia in 522–486 bce, one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid Empire, who was noted for his administrative genius and for his great building projects. Darius attempted several times to conquer Greece; his fleet was destroyed by a storm in 492, and the Athenians defeated his army at Marathon in 490. Darius was the son of Hystaspes, the satrap (provincial governor) of Parthia. The...

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