Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from the reign of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) until its destruction in 330 BCE. Its name comes from the Greek Perses-polis (Persian City), but the Persians knew it as Parsa (City of the Persians).
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Definition
Timeline
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518 BCEDarius I The Great begins construction of the city of Persepolis.
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c. 515 BCEDarius I moves the capital of Persia from Pasargadae to Persepolis.
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515 BCECompletion of the Palace of Darius and the Grand Stairway at Persepolis.
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c. 478 BCEXerxes I builds the Gate of All Nations, the Hall of 100 Columns and the grand Palace of Xerxes.
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c. 336 BCEArtaxerxes III builds the Hall of 32 Columns, the Palace of Artaxerxes and the Unfinished Gate.
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May 330 BCEPersepolis is burned and looted by Alexander the Great.
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12 Oct 1971 CEThe 2,500-Year Celebration of the Persian Empire begins at the ancient city of Persepolis in Iran, hosted by the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his wife to honor Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire in c. 550 BCE and Iran's long history. The festival continued until 16 October.
