Kingdom of Media

E831709

The Kingdom of Media was an ancient Iranian state in the first millennium BCE, centered in the region of Media and known for its powerful empire that preceded and influenced the rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Kingdom of Media canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient kingdom ⓘ
historical polity ⓘ
ally Neo-Babylonian Empire ⓘ
capital Ecbatana ⓘ
Hamadan (modern identification of Ecbatana) ⓘ
continent Asia ⓘ
culture Iranian culture ⓘ
influences from Mesopotamian civilizations ⓘ
currency used metal bullion and weighed silver (typical of region and period) ⓘ
endTime 550 BCE (conquest by Cyrus the Great) ⓘ
6th century BCE ⓘ
era Iron Age ⓘ
ethnicGroup Medes ⓘ
event fall of Nineveh ⓘ
linked to: Fall of Nineveh
followedBy Achaemenid Empire ⓘ
governmentType monarchy ⓘ
historicalDebate extent of centralized imperial structure is debated ⓘ
historicalStatus poorly documented archaeologically ⓘ
influenced Achaemenid Persian Empire ⓘ
linked to: Achaemenid Empire
knownFrom Assyrian sources ⓘ
Babylonian sources ⓘ
Greek historians ⓘ
Herodotus ⓘ
language Median language ⓘ
languageFamily Northwestern Iranian languages ⓘ
legacy provided administrative and court models for Achaemenid Persia ⓘ
locatedIn Zagros Mountains region ⓘ
linked to: Zagros Mountains

northwestern Iran ⓘ
region of Media ⓘ
military noted for cavalry ⓘ
participatedIn destruction of the Neo-Assyrian Empire ⓘ
partOf ancient Near East ⓘ
linked to: Ancient Near East
population Iranian-speaking tribes ⓘ
precededBy Neo-Assyrian Empire (as overlord) ⓘ
linked to: Neo-Assyrian Empire
religion ancient Iranian religion ⓘ
early forms of Zoroastrianism (disputed) ⓘ
ruler Astyages ⓘ
Cyaxares ⓘ
Deioces (traditional founder in Greek accounts) ⓘ
linked to: Deioces

Phraortes (in Greek tradition) ⓘ
linked to: Phraortes
startTime 7th century BCE ⓘ
c. 678 BCE (traditional date for independence from Assyria) ⓘ
territoryIncluded parts of eastern Anatolia ⓘ
parts of northern Mesopotamia ⓘ
parts of the Iranian plateau ⓘ
parts of western Iran ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Median forces → politicalAllegiance → Kingdom of Media ⓘ
Siege of Nineveh → involvedPolity → Kingdom of Media ⓘ
siege of Assur (614 BCE) → involvedPolity → Kingdom of Media ⓘ