Darius I

Darius I, otherwise known as Darius the Great, was the third king of the Achaemenid Empire. Darius held the empire at its peak, then including Egypt, Balochistan, Kurdistan and parts of Greece.Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the magus Bardiya with the assistance of six other Persian noble families which ensured that Darius was crowned the following morning. The new emperor met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens and Eretria for their aid in the Ionian Revolt and conquer Greece. Darius expanded his empire by conquering Thrace and Macedon and invading Scythia, home of the Scythians,who had previously killed Cyrus the Great.Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern these provinces.. He organized a new monetary system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on Susa, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Babylon and Egypt. Darius even devised laws for Egypt. Darius also started many massive architectural projects, including magnificent palaces in Susa and Persepolis,which would later be destroyed by Alexander.