Printable ScholarPersian Empire Map
Free printable map of the Achaemenid Persian Empire at its greatest extent under Darius I around 500 BC, stretching from Greece and Egypt in the west to the borders of India in the east.
Choose your version
Labeled or blank.
Both are free PDFs sized for US Letter paper.
Labeled
Regions, cities, rivers and seas named, on shaded relief.
downloadLabeled PDF
Blank
The same terrain, border and city markers with no names, for labeling practice.
downloadBlank PDFInk-saving black and white
The same map with no terrain shading: white land, the empire in light gray, the Royal Road, the lands and cities around it named. The blank one keeps the city markers with no names.
Black and white
Labeled, with no terrain shading.
downloadBlack and white PDF
Black and white blank
City markers with no names, for labeling practice.
downloadBlack and white blank PDFThe Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest empire the ancient world had yet seen. Founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 BC, it grew through conquest and diplomacy to cover roughly 5.5 million square kilometers — stretching from the Greek cities of Anatolia and the Nile Delta in the west to the borders of modern India in the east. What set it apart from earlier empires was not just its size but its approach: Cyrus allowed conquered peoples to keep their languages, religions, and local customs, earning him the title of liberator rather than conqueror. He freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and helped rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.
Under Darius I (522–486 BC), the empire reached its administrative and geographic peak. Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces called satrapies, each governed by a royal-appointed satrap. He built the Royal Road — nearly 2,700 kilometers of paved highway from Sardis in western Turkey to Susa in Iran — and a relay messenger system so fast it could cover the entire route in about a week. He began construction of Persepolis, the magnificent ceremonial capital whose ruins still stand in modern Iran. A standardized coinage, weights, and legal code knit the empire together across a dozen languages and cultures.
The empire’s western frontier ran into trouble when it tried to punish Athens for supporting a revolt of the Greek cities of Ionia. Darius’s army was defeated at Marathon in 490 BC. His son Xerxes returned with a massive invasion in 480 BC — burning Athens — but the Greek navy defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis and the army was eventually driven back. Persia never conquered Greece. The empire survived another 150 years until Alexander the Great crossed into Anatolia in 334 BC and, in just seven years, conquered the entire empire from Egypt to Afghanistan.
Pair it with a timeline
Add the dates to the geography with the free printable Persian Empire Timeline.
Persian Empire TimelineFind it on the map
- The Royal Road from Sardis to Susa
- The Zagros Mountains between Babylon and Persepolis
- The Nile valley, the narrow strip of Egypt the empire held
The empire boundary is from the Ancient World Mapping Center (ODbL), based on the Barrington Atlas. Coastlines and rivers are shown as they are today.
Frequently asked questions
What modern countries make up the ancient Persian Empire?
At its greatest extent under Darius I around 500 BC, the Persian Empire covered modern-day Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Libya (Cyrenaica), Afghanistan, Pakistan (northwestern regions), Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It briefly extended into Thrace (European Turkey and Bulgaria) as well.
How did Cyrus the Great treat conquered peoples?
Cyrus adopted a policy of remarkable tolerance for his era. Rather than destroying local religions and deporting populations — as the Assyrians and Babylonians had done — Cyrus allowed conquered peoples to keep their gods, languages, and local rulers. His most famous act was freeing the Jewish people from the Babylonian captivity and helping them rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay tablet found in Babylon, records his decree of religious freedom and is sometimes called the world’s first charter of human rights.
What paper size should I print this on?
Every version is a PDF sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 in.). Print at 100% or choose "fit to page".
