The Median, Lydian and Babylonian Empires

The Persians were vassals of the Median Empire, of which little is known. Historians know very little about the Iranian culture under the Median dynasty, except that Zoroastrianism as well as a polytheistic religion was practiced, and a priestly caste called the Magi existed. The Medes originally settled in northwestern Iran and were themselves a vassal state of the Assyrian Empire until the mid 7th century B.C..

The Founder of The Median Empire and first Kings

The founder of the Median Empire is considered to be Dayaukku, ( Greek Deioces ), who, according to Herodotus, reigned from 728 to 675 and founded a capital at  Ecbatana (present day Hamadan, Iran ) .

King Cyaxares ralies his people

Deioces was succeeded by his son Phraortes (675-653 B.C.), who subjugated the Persian kings of Anshan  and then attacked the Assyrian empire. However, Phraortes, the conqueror of the Persians, when confronted by the veteran troops of Assyria, failed before their superior discipline, and was left dead upon the field of battle with the greater part of his army in 653 B.C. .

Phraortes was succeeded by Huvakshatara ( Greek Cyaxares 625 - 585 B.C.) the greatest ruler of the Median Empire . Cyaxares instead of pleading for mercy from Assyria, continued to offer a stubborn resistance .

The armies at the disposal of his predecessors had been little more than heterogeneous assemblies of feudal militia; each clan furnished its own contingent of cavalry, archers, and pikemen, but instead of all these being combined into a common whole, with kindred elements contributed by the other tribes, each one acted separately, thus forming a number of small independent armies within the larger one.

Elam and Aryans

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Cyaxares attacks Assyria