Medes

ancient Iranian People

26 dated entries naming Medes, drawn from 24 separate years between 710 BCE and 637 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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8th century BC

710 BCEc. 710 BC—The Medes are united.source

7th century BC

678 BCEAccording to Herodotus, Ecbatana was chosen as the Medes' capital by Deioces, the first ruler of the Medes.source
675 BCEKing Deioces dies after a 53-year reign that has established the kingdom of the Medes and its capital at Ecbatana (later Hamedan) in what will be northwest Persia. He is succeeded by his son Phraortes, who forms an anti-Assyrian alliance with the Cimmerians to subjugate the Persians and other Asian peoples.source
665 BCEPhraortes, king of the Median Empire (approximate date)source
640 BCEKing Teispes dies after a 35-year reign in which he has ruled the Elamite city of Anshan after being freed from Median supremacy.source
614 BCEThe Medes and Babylonians sack Assur.source
612 BCEBattle of Nineveh: An allied army of Babylonians, Medes, Scythians, and Susianians besieges and conquers Nineveh, capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Sinsharishkun, King of Assyria, is killed in the sacking.source
609 BCEThe Medes and the Babylonians defeat the Assyrians under Ashur-uballit II and capture Harran. Ashur-uballit II, the last king of Assyria, disappears from history.source

6th century BC

552 BCEThe Battle of Hyrba is fought between the Medians and the Persians led by Cyrus the Great.source
550 BCECyrus II the Great overthrows Astyages of the Medes, establishing the Achaemenid Empire.source

4th century BC

331 BCEOctober 1 – Alexander is victorious in the Battle of Gaugamela (near ancient Ninevah) over the Persian King Darius III. Alexander pursues the defeated Persian forces to Arbela, Darius moves his Bactrian cavalry and Greek mercenaries into Media.source
330 BCEAlexander appoints Atropates as the satrap of Media while Mithrenes is appointed by Alexander as satrap of Armenia.source
330 BCEBefore continuing his pursuit of Darius III, who has retreated into Bactria, Alexander assembles all the Persian treasure and entrusts it to Harpalus, who is to hold it at Ecbatana as chief treasurer. Parmenion is also left behind in Media to manage communications between Alexander and the rest of his rapidly growing lands.source
324 BCEOn returning to Susa, Persia, Alexander the Great punishes those who he considers to have failed in their duties in his absence in India, particularly those who have plundered tombs and temples. Alexander continues his policy of replacing senior officials and executing defaulting governors. Over a third of his satraps are replaced and six are put to death. Three generals in Media, including Cleander, the brother of Coenus (who died in 326 BC), are accused of extortion and are arrested, tried and executed.source
311 BCESeleucus reestablishes himself as satrap of Babylonia and asserts control over Media and Susiana (Elam).source

3rd century BC

205 BCEAntiochus III returns from his eastern campaigns, after having defeated the Bactrians and subjugated the Parthians and thus being able to partly restore Seleucid power in these provinces by crushing the revolting governors of Media, Persia and Anatolia. Having established a system of vassal states in the East, Antiochus now adopts the ancient Achaemenid title of "great king", and the Greeks, comparing him to Alexander the Great, surname him "the Great", that is to say Antiochus III Megas.source

2nd century BC

175 BCETimarchus is appointed governor of Media in western Persia by Antiochus IV to deal with the growing threat from the Parthians. At the same time, Timarchus' brother, Heracleides, becomes minister of the royal finances.source
163 BCEIn the turmoil following the death of Antiochus IV, the governor of Media, Timarchus becomes the independent ruler of Media, opposing Lysias who is acting as regent for young king Antiochus V Eupator.source
161 BCEThe rebel Seleucid general and ruler of Media, Timarchus, who has distinguished himself by defending Media against the emergent Parthians, treats Demetrius I's violent accession to the Seleucid throne as the excuse to declare himself an independent king and extend his realm from Media into Babylonia.source
160 BCETimarchus, Seleucid nobleman, possibly from Miletus in Anatolia, appointed governor of Media in western Iran by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and who has rebelled against his successor, Demetrius I Soter, until he is killed in a battle with Demetrius' forcessource
160 BCEThe Parthian King, Mithradates I, seizes Media from the Seleucids following the death of Timarchus.source
153 BCEThe Seleucid king Demetrius I Soter's relations with Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamum and Ptolemy VI Philometor of Egypt deteriorate to the point where they support a rival claimant to the Syrian throne, Alexander Balas, who claims to be the son of the former Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and, therefore, a first cousin of Demetrius. He has been "discovered" by Heracleides, a former minister of Antiochus IV and brother of Timarchus, who has been executed by Demetrius I Soter in 160 BC after leading a revolt against him in Media.source
129 BCEBattle of Ecbatana: the Seleucid King Antiochus VII Sidetes is defeated and killed by the Parthians under Phraates II, ending Seleucid control over Media or Mesopotamia.source
127 BCEThe Scythians defeat the Parthians in a battle around Media.source

2nd century

190Osroes II, controlling Media, claims the throne of the Parthian Empire. King Vologases IV of Parthia puts down the rebellion and restores order.source

7th century

637March – Siege of Ctesiphon: The Rashidun army (15,000 men) under Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas occupies the Persian capital of Ctesiphon, after a two-month siege. King Yazdegerd III flees with the imperial treasure eastward into Media. Muslim forces conquer the Persian provinces as far as Khuzestan (modern Iran).source