Overview
The history of Iran (or Persia, as it was commonly known in the Western world) is intertwined with that of Greater Iran, a sociocultural region spanning the area between Anatolia in the west and the Indus River and Syr Darya in the east, and between the Caucasus and Eurasian Steppe in the north and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the south. Central to this area is the modern-day country of Iran, which covers the bulk of the Iranian plateau.
Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC.[1] The south-western and western part of the Iranian plateau participated in the traditional ancient Near East with Elam (3200ā539 BC), from the Bronze Age, and later with various other peoples, such as the Kassites, Mannaeans, and Gutians. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel calls the Persians the “first Historical People”.[2] The Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC.[3] The Achaemenid Empire (550ā330 BC), founded by Cyrus the Great, ruled from the Balkans to North Africa and also Central Asia, spanning three continents, from their seat of power in Persis (Persepolis). It was the largest empire yet seen.[4] They were succeeded by the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Empires, who successively governed Iran for almost 1,000 years and made Iran once again a leading power in the world. Persia’s arch-rival was the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire.
Different eras
- Ancient
- Imperial
- Medieval
- Early modern
- Modern
- Contemporary
My favorites ranked:
- Modern
- Ancient
- contemporary
- Early modern
prehistory
What communities began to flourish in and around the Zagros Mountains region in western Iran?
Early agricultural communities such as Chogha Golan in 10,000 BC[16][17] along with settlements such as Chogha Bonut (the earliest village in Elam) in 8000 BC,[18][19] began to flourish in and around the Zagros Mountains region in western Iran.