Fall of the Achaemenid Empire

An ancient realm, wealthy and strong
The largest empire the earth had seen
Stretching across the whole known world
The most advanced society there had been

Under the rule of the king of kings
Many nations subjugated by its might
For centuries the empire throve
Until on Greece the kings set their sight

Darius the Great conquered many lands
Made many Greek cities part of his domain
But rebellion broke out in 499 BC
The Greeks fighting the Persian chains

The Persians were defeated at Marathon
But war would continue for many a year
Darius' son Xerxes once again invaded
Yet his massive army the Greeks did not fear

Xerxes managed to sack and loot Athens
But his massive invasion was ill-fated
The Persian navy crushed at Salamis
At Plataea and Mycale his army obliterated

The tides of war had decisively turned
The empire's territory in Europe gone
Through shifting and uneasy alliances
To their influence in Greece they held on

Xenophon's march opened many Greek eyes
To the wealth and weakness of the empire
The Greeks boldly went on the offensive
Soon the Persian realm to go down in fire

Rebellion weakened the once great realm
While the Greeks for once stood as one
United behind the Macedon king
The last king of kings soon to be gone

Glory at Granicus and Gaugamela
The capital city fell in 330 BC
Alexander crushed all the foe's forces
Of the Persian yoke the Greeks now free