Persians (Age of Empires)

This article is about the civilization in Age of Empires. For the civilization in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, see Persians (Age of Empires II).

Civilization

Technology tree

Strategy

History

Persians
Civilization
Civilization information
Introduced in	Age of Empires
Architecture	Mesopotamian
Continent	Asia
In-game theme
Jingle
Timeframe	700–332 BC
Features/Characteristics
Focus	Elephant units Navy
Map

“	Throw off the Median yoke, conquer Babylon, and build a diverse empire stretching from India and Egypt to Thrace. Powerful elephants will trample anything that stands in your way!	”
—Description

The Persians are a playable civilization in Age of Empires that comes with powerful aggressive units to reflect their rapid expansion of their empire under Cyrus the Great. They are based on the Achaemenid Empire.

The Persians re-appear in Age of Empires II. In Chronicles, they correspond with the Achaemenids.

Characteristics

Civilization bonuses

• Hunters work 30% faster and carry +3 food.
• Elephant units move 25% faster.
• Scout Ship line fires 18%/25%/33% faster in the Tool/Bronze/Iron Age.
• Walls cost -20%.*

Team bonus

Stables work 20% faster.

Missing technologies

Academy, Ballista Tower, Craftsmanship, Siegecraft, Irrigation, City Watch, Aristocracy

Missing units

Chariot Archer, Chariot, Heavy Catapult, Ballista, Fire Galley

Changelog

Age of Empires

• Hunters work 67% faster (but stated 30%) and carry +3 food.
• Farming production -30%.
• War Elephants and Elephant Archers move 56% faster (but stated 50%).
• Triremes fire 38% faster (but stated 50%).
• Artisanship, Wheel, Plow, Coinage, and Ballistics are not available.

The Rise of Rome

• Farming penalty eliminated.

Definitive Edition

• Hunters work 30% faster and carry +3 food.
• War Elephants and Elephant Archers move 20% faster. With update 38862, War Elephants and Elephant Archers move 25% faster.
• Triremes fire 33% faster (but stated 25%).
• Artisanship, Wheel, and Coinage are available.
• With update 38862, Plow is available.

Return of Rome

• Team bonus added.
• Walls cost -20%.
• The Trireme firing rate bonus is extended: the Scout Ship line fires 18%/25%/33% faster in the Tool/Bronze/Iron Age.
• Ballistics is available.

Campaign appearances

The Persians appear as AI players in:

Glory of Greece

• 7. Xenophon's March
  • Persia - Enemy
  • Persia - Enemy
  • Persia - Enemy
  • Persia - Enemy
• 8. Wonder (original)
  • Cambyses - Enemy
  • Persia - Enemy
• 8. Alexander the Great (since the Definitive Edition)
  • Persia - Enemy

Voices of Babylon

• 2. The Tigris Valley
  • Ebla Raiders - Enemy (since the Definitive Edition)
• 5. The Great Hunt (original)
  • Elam - Enemy
• 5. The Great Hunt (since the Definitive Edition)
  • Susa - Enemy
  • Elamites - Neutral
• 5. The Great Hunt (since Return of Rome)
  • Susa - Enemy
  • Elamites - Enemy
  • Elamites - Enemy
• 6. The Caravan
  • Elamites - Enemy (since the Definitive Edition)
  • Elamites - Enemy

Reign of the Hittites

• 2. Raid on Babylon (since the Definitive Edition)
  • Gutians - Enemy

The Rise of Rome

• 6. Mithridates
  • Artaxiad Armenia - Enemy (since the Definitive Edition)

Imperium Romanum

• 3. Ransom at Ctesiphon
  • Sasanian Empire - Enemy
  • Parthian Brigands - Enemy
  • Persian Raiders - Enemy
• 5. Coming of the Huns (original)
  • Goths - Enemy

Enemies of Rome

• 4. Odaenathus, Lord of Palmyra
  • Persians - Enemy

Sargon of Akkad

• 3. The Prophecy
  • Ur - Enemy
• 4. The Land of Kings
  • Elam - Enemy
  • Elamite Navy - Enemy

Trajan

• 4. An Old Enemy
  • Armenia - Enemy
  • Parthia - Enemy
• 5. Blood in the Water
  • Charax - Ally
  • Mesopotamia - Ally
  • Parthia - Enemy
  • Ctesiphon - Enemy

Pyrrhus of Epirus

• 1. A Second Alexander
  • Seleucus - Enemy
  • Antiochus - Enemy

AI player names

When playing a random map game against the computer, the player may encounter any of the following Persians AI characters.

• Cyrus (𐏂𐎢𐎽𐎿𐏃; کوروش) - Name of severals Achaemenid kings, the most famous being Cyrus II the Great, king of Persia 559-530 BC
• Darius (𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁) - Darius (I) the Great, king of Persia 522-486 BC
• Cambyses (𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹; کامبیز) - King of Anshan 580-559 BC (Cambyses I); King of Persia 530-522 BC (II)
• Datis (داتیس) - Median admiral under Darius I, leader of Persian forces during the Persian Wars
• Xerxes (𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠; خشایار شاه) - King of Persia 486-465 BC
• Bessus (بسوس) - King of Persia 330-329 BC
• Mardonius (𐎶𐎼𐎯𐎢𐎴𐎡𐎹; مردونیوس) - Persian military commander during the Persian Wars, lived ?-479 BC, died in Battle of Plataea
• Spitamenes - Sogdian warlord, leader of the Sogdian and Bactrian uprising against Alexander the Great, lived 370-328 BC
• Artaphernes - Brother of Darius I and satrap of Sardis; His son, also Arthaphernes, was military commander under Darius I, leader of Persian forces during the Persian Wars

The following AI players are only present before the Definitive Edition:

• Cyrus II (𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁) - Cyrus the Great, king of Persia 559-530 BC
• Darius II (𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁) - King of Persia 423-405 BC
• Xerxes II (𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠) - King of Persia 424 BC
• Cyrus III - Did not exist in Persia

History

Main article: /History

“	700 to 332 BC The Persians were unlikely empire builders but in a relatively short span of years they conquered most of the Near and Middle East. They benefited from the leadership of a series of strong kings in succession and by a lack of competent leaders among their neighbors. They expanded very quickly, wobbled for a few hundred years under internal and external pressures, and then collapsed suddenly and utterly. Despite their accomplishments and the breadth of their influence, our knowledge of the Persians is surprisingly limited. Very few Persian records have survived and many of these are written in Elamite, a language we understand poorly today. There is nothing to compare with surviving records of the Egyptians, Greeks, Hittites, and others. Historians rely heavily on what neighbors wrote about the Persians, such as Herodotus who traveled widely within their empire during its peak. Archaeology has revealed that while the empire was certainly in decline prior to Alexander's conquest, it was once well-governed, efficient, and no fluke of history.	”
—Excerpt from the Age of Empires manual

Trivia

• The civilization's icon introduced in Return of Rome portrays the royal standard of the Achaemenid Empire, Shahbaz, which means the Royal Falcon. The standard is shown on top of a type of common Persian shield shape, usually made of wicker and reed. Such shields were also found among Assyrians and Cypriots, as well as among the Mycenean Greeks where it was called the Dipylon shield or Boeotian shield.
• The user interface image in Return of Rome depicts the Faravahar, a major symbol of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion beginning around 15th Century BC and declining after the Arab conquest of Persia in 7th Century AD. It is also used by their civilization equivalent in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Gallery

Default player icon

Iron Age architecture that the Persians share with the Babylonians and the Hittites in the Definitive Edition, and with Babylonians and Sumerians in Return of Rome

UI emblem artwork of the Persians

This artistic manuscript depicts an image of a Persian palace under Faravahar. This spirit above the palace is the symbol of their official religion, Zoroastrianism.

Achaemenid plate depicting the Shahbaz bird

Bas-relief of Persian palace guards at Persepolis, with the distinctive shields

Carved Faravahar from Persepolis, 515-330 BC

The Persian user interface in the original game

The Babylonian style user interface panels that the Persians have in Return of Rome