Darius-I the Great (c.64; r.522-486 BC), son of Hystaspes (fl.550 BC), grandson of Arsames, descendant of Achaemenes, took the throne by force in circumstances that are unclear. He is said to have killed the usurper Gaumata or, as some believe, the legitimate successor Bardiya. His succession to the Achaemenid throne was not easily accepted; he spent the first years of his reign quelling revolts in Persia, Babylonia and the eastern provinces. He ordered a record of his triumph to be carved on the rock face at Behistun.
He marked what he presented as a refoundation of the empire by building a new capital at Persepolis. His division of the empire into provinces governed by satraps was retained throughout the Achaemenid period and even later. His organisation was framed to centralise authority while allowing each province to have its own form of government and institutions. To develop commerce he built a network of roads, explored the Indus Valley and the Mediterranean, and connected the Nile with the Red Sea by a canal.
In 492 BC Darius sent his general Mardonius (d.479 BC) to punish Athens for assisting the Ionians. On his way to Athens Mardonius deposed the Persian tyrants in the Ionian cities and set up democratic governments, probably to encourage the Ionians not revolt a second time after the Persian army had passed through. After his fleet and army crossed Hellespont, Mardonius attacked Thasos and continued on to Macedonia, which he soon added to the Persian Empire. After these victories Mardonius’ fleet was destroyed in a storm off the coast near Mount Athos. Around this time Mardonius was victorious in a battle in Thrace, but the loss of the fleet meant that he had to retreat back into Asia Minor. He was relieved of his command by Darius, who appointed Datis and Artaphernes to lead the invasion of Greece in 490 BC. Their first target was Naxos, which was burnt and looted. From there they proceeded to Eretria and took the city after a seven-day siege. A few days later the Persian fleet landed near Marathon. In the ensuing battle the Persians were defeated by the Athenians, who were under the command of Miltiades (c.550-489 BC). Retreating to Phalerum, the Persians decided to abandon the attack and return home. Over the next four years Darius gathered an army from all over the empire, while his fleet was prepare
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