Ancient World
Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC): The Fall of the Persian Empire
Decisive Macedonian victory; Darius III fled and the Achaemenid Persian Empire collapsed, leaving Alexander master of its heartland.
Region
Middle East
Ancient World
Burning of Persepolis (330 BC): Alexander Torches the Palace
The main palaces of Persepolis were destroyed by fire after their treasury had been looted, and the city never regained its royal role.
Ancient World
Death of Alexander the Great (323 BC): Babylon and the Succession
Alexander died without an adult heir; his generals divided the empire and soon went to war, leading to its break-up into rival kingdoms.
Ancient World
Seleucid Empire (312-63 BC): Greek Kingdom From Syria to Bactria
After losing its eastern provinces to Parthia and its western lands to Rome, the Seleucid kingdom was reduced to Syria and annexed by Pompey as a Roman province.
Ancient World
Petra: Rock-Cut Capital of the Nabataean Kingdom in Jordan
Petra grew into the wealthy capital of the Nabataean kingdom, became part of the Roman province of Arabia in AD 106 and is now Jordan's best-known World Heritage Site.
Ancient World
Galatians: The Celtic Invaders Who Settled in Anatolia
Three Celtic tribes settled central Anatolia, raided their neighbours for decades and eventually became the Roman province of Galatia in 25 BC.
Ancient World
Nisa: The Early Royal City of the Parthian Arsacid Kings
Nisa became one of the earliest royal centres of the Parthian Empire, and its excavated fortress is a key source for Parthian art, language and administration.
Ancient World
Dead Sea Scrolls: Ancient Jewish Manuscripts from Qumran
The scrolls became the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible and a unique window on Judaism in the Second Temple period.
Ancient World
Arsaces I and the Founding of the Parthian Empire
The Parni under Arsaces took Parthia and Hyrcania from Seleucid control and founded the Arsacid dynasty, which ruled Iran until AD 224.
Ancient World
Battle of Raphia (217 BC): Ptolemy IV's Great Elephant Battle
Ptolemaic victory; Egypt kept Coele-Syria and the Fourth Syrian War ended.
Ancient World
Maccabean Revolt (167-160 BC): Judea Against the Seleucids
The rebels restored Jewish worship in the Temple and won religious freedom; within two decades the Hasmonean family ruled an independent Judea.
Ancient World
Tigranes the Great: The Short-Lived Armenian Empire (95-55 BC)
Tigranes created the largest Armenian state in history, but after defeats by Lucullus he submitted to Pompey in 66 BC and kept only Armenia as a Roman ally.