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The Legacy Of Darius The Great

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Darius I ,also known as Darius the Great, was the third king who reigned from 550-486 BCE during the Achaemenid Empire. While he lived, Darius held the empire at its peak, which stretched from the river Nile and parts of Northern Greece to the Indus River Valley. One of the most major events in Darius 's life was his expedition to discipline Athens and Eretria for their support in the Ionian Revolt. He made his empire larger by vanquishing Thrace and Macedon, and occupying Scythia. He also arranged his empire, by splitting it into provinces and placing governors to rule over it. Darius organized a new financial system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He further worked on establishment projects throughout the empire. Darius also formulated a codification of laws for Egypt. He order the carving of the cliff-face Behistun Inscription, an autobiography of great modern linguistic significance. Darius also started many massive architectural projects including magnificent palaces in Persepolis, and Susa. Darius was born as the eldest of five sons to a leading figure of power in Persia named Hystaspes. Herodotus of Halicarnassus wrote that after a dream that seemed to predict Darius’ reign, King Cyrus became suspicious of the son of Hystaspes, who was “about twenty at that time and had been left behind in Persia because he was too young for war (Herodotus)”. Herodotus adds that Cyrus sent back Hystaspes to control his son. A couple days late and the

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