History glossary
the Medes
an Iranian people whose power preceded and then became part of the early Persian Empire.
- Category
- People
- Region
- Iranian plateau
- Date range
- 7th-6th centuries BCE
What it means
The Medes were an Iranian people associated with Media on the Iranian plateau. Before Cyrus' rise, Median power was stronger than Persian power, and Cyrus' defeat of Astyages around 550 BCE brought Median resources, nobles, and political experience into the Achaemenid order.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Persian Empire
From Cyrus the Great to Alexander's conquest, the Achaemenid Persian Empire turned regional kingship into a vast realm held together by conquest, roads, tribute, local cooperation, and royal power.
Mesopotamia
Ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was one of the birthplaces of urban civilisation. In this Tigris and Euphrates civilization, communities built some of the first cities, developed cuneiform writing, organised law codes, and created early empires. From Sumer and Akkad to Babylon and Assyria, this history of Mesopotamia shows how farming, irrigation, temples, kingship, trade, and record-keeping helped create the structures of complex society. It also works as a Mesopotamia timeline and Mesopotamia civilization overview, with clear Mesopotamia facts tracing how Mesopotamian civilization grew from villages into states and empires.
