The Persian Empire
The first empire to rule many peoples without erasing them
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The Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus and Darius may have contained 40 per cent of the world's population. Its model of rule — satrapies with local autonomy, a common coinage, standardised weights and the Royal Road with relay stations — became the template for later empires right through to the Ottomans. The Cyrus Cylinder, describing the return of deported peoples, has been read as an early statement of religious tolerance. The Greeks wrote the history of the Persian Wars, and so shaped an image of Persia far more negative than other sources warrant.
For children
The Persians built the largest empire the world had seen, from Egypt to India. Instead of forcing everyone to be alike, they let peoples keep their own gods and customs. They also built roads and a postal system that made it possible to govern across huge distances.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org