Achaemenid Persian Empire
Persian empire founded by Cyrus II.
Rulers recorded so far
No chronology model (model-independent)
- Cyrus II (the Great): 539 BC → 530 BC
- Artaxerxes I (Longimanus): 465 BC – 464 BC → 424 BC – 423 BC
- Darius I (the Great): 522 BC – 521 BC → 486 BC
- Xerxes I: 486 BC → 465 BC – 464 BC
This is not a complete king list. Only rulers reached by research so far are shown.
Researched events
- Belshazzar slain; Darius the Mede receives the kingdom (Dan 5:30–31)
- Daniel continues until the first year of King Cyrus (Dan 1:21)
- Belshazzar's feast and the writing on the wall (Dan 5:1–29)
- Fall of Babylon to Cyrus (October 539 BC)
- The thirty-day decree and Daniel in the lions' den (Dan 6:4–23)
- Darius appoints 120 satraps and three chief officials (Dan 6:1–3, 28)
- The accusers punished; Darius's decree honouring the God of Daniel (Dan 6:24–27)
- Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat at Susa (Dan 8)
- Artaxerxes sends Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, Nisan of his twentieth year (Neh 2:1–8)
- Cyrus's proclamation permitting the return and the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 1; 6:3–5)
- The rebuilt Temple completed on 3 Adar of Darius's sixth year (Ezra 6:15)
- Darius I confirms Cyrus's decree and orders the Temple completed (Ezra 6:1–12)
- Daniel reads Jeremiah's seventy years and prays (Dan 9:1–19)
- Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra in his seventh year (Ezra 7)
- Daniel's vision by the Tigris in the third year of Cyrus (Dan 10:1–11:1)
- Composition of the book of Daniel (date and authorship debated)
- Cyrus returns the Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar; the first return (Ezra 1:5–11)
- The altar rebuilt in Jerusalem and the Feast of Booths kept (Ezra 3:1–7)
- The return of the exiles with Zerubbabel and Jeshua; the list of returnees (Ezra 2)
- The foundation of the Second Temple laid (Ezra 3:8–13)
- Tattenai governor of Beyond the River inquires and writes to Darius (Ezra 5:3–17)
- Haggai and Zechariah stir the people; the Temple work resumes (Darius's second year, 520 BC)
- Opposition from the people of the land; the Temple work ceases until Darius's second year (Ezra 4:1–5, 24)
- Accusations to Ahasuerus and the Rehum–Shimshai letter to Artaxerxes; the city's rebuilding stopped (Ezra 4:6–23)
- The returned exiles keep the Passover after the Temple's dedication (Ezra 6:19–22)
- Haggai's oracles of 24/IX, Darius year 2: "from this day I will bless you"; Zerubbabel the signet
- Haggai's oracle on the latter glory of the house (21/VII, Darius year 2)
- Zechariah's first oracle: the call to return (8th month, Darius year 2)
- Zechariah's night visions (24 Shebat, Darius year 2; Zech 1:7–6:8)
- Crowns made from the exiles' gifts and set on Joshua; the oracle of the Branch (Zech 6:9–15)
- The Bethel delegation and the question of fasting; Zechariah's answer (4/IX, Darius year 4)
- Ezra's caravan from the Ahava to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7–10; 8)
- The mixed-marriages crisis: Ezra's confession, the assembly in the rain (20/IX) and the commission (Ezra 9–10)
- Nehemiah arrives, inspects the walls by night and calls for rebuilding (Neh 2:9–20)
- Hanani's report at Susa and Nehemiah's prayer (Chislev, Artaxerxes's 20th year)
- The rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall and gates, section by section (Neh 3)
- Mockery, threats and the armed builders (Neh 4)
- The debt crisis and the remission of pledges (Neh 5:1–13)
- Plots against Nehemiah: Ono, the open letter, Shemaiah (Neh 6:1–14)
- Nehemiah's first governorship: twelve years, 20th–32nd year of Artaxerxes (445–433 BC)
- The wall completed on 25 Elul after fifty-two days (Neh 6:15–19)
- Jerusalem guarded under Hanani and Hananiah; the registry of the first returnees found (Neh 7:1–5)
- Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12)
- The Feast of Booths kept "as it is written" (Neh 8:13–18)
- The sealed covenant to keep the law and support the temple (Neh 9:38–10:39)
- The fast of the twenty-fourth day and the Levites' confession (Neh 9)
- Nehemiah's return and second-term reforms (Neh 13:4–31)
- Jerusalem repopulated: one in ten by lot (Neh 11)
- The dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12:27–13:3)
- The priestly and Levitical registers to the days of Jaddua (Neh 12:1–26)
- The first "burden" of Zechariah 9–11 (undated oracle collection)
- The second "burden" of Zechariah 12–14 (undated oracle collection)
- Malachi's disputations with priests and people (Mal 1–4; undated, mid-fifth century BC)
- Mordecai uncovers the plot of Bigthan and Teresh (Esth 2:19–23)
- Ahasuerus's third-year feast at Susa and the deposing of Vashti (Esth 1; 483/482 BC)
- Esther made queen in Tebeth of Xerxes's seventh year (Esth 2:1–18; winter 479/478 BC)
- Mordecai mourns; Esther resolves to go to the king (Esth 4)
- Esther before the king; the first banquet; Haman's gallows (Esth 5)
- Haman casts pur and the decree against the Jews (Esth 3; Nisan 474 BC)
- The sleepless king; Mordecai honoured by Haman (Esth 6)
- The institution of Purim; Mordecai second to the king (Esth 9:20–10:3)
- The Jews defend themselves on 13–14 Adar (Esth 9:1–19; 473 BC)
- Mordecai's counter-decree of 23 Sivan (Esth 8; June 474 BC)
- The second banquet; Haman hanged (Esth 7)