Ancient Persia Reading Comprehension

Worksheet Description

The first Persian Empire was also known as the Achaemenid Empire, and it rose to power in the Middle East after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. It was the largest empire in the world during its time. The first leader of the Persian Empire was its founder, Cyrus the Great, who led the conquest of the Median Empire in 550 BC and the subsequent conquest of the Lydians and the Babylonians. Later kings added Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, and Turkey to empire, which covered 3,000 miles from east to west. Unlike other Mesopotamian empires, the Persians allowed the people that they conquered to live according to their own cultures and customs, as long as they paid taxes to the Persians and obeyed the Persian rulers.

What did the Persians do differently from other Mesopotamian empires?