PERSIA:

"The earliest evidence of humans in what is now Iran dates back about 100,000 years, when small hunter-gatherer groups formed a sparse population. From about 38,000 to about 12,000 years ago, there were various flint-working cultures in the area. By about 6000 BC, agricultural villages were located over much of the Iranian Plateau. However, most of the area did not progress into literate urban cultures, such as those of the Indus Valley or Mesopotamia. The exception was Elam, which-from about 2700 BC-had a federal government with checks and balances and a complicated system by which official power was inherited. The system lasted for more than 1,500 years before Elam was conquered by Babylon."
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The people inhabiting the region between Mesopotamia and the Indus are a proud and dynamic folk with a strong sense of their common heritage, even given that they derive from diverse sources. An Indo-European people (their name for themselves, "Irani", is simply the local pronunciation of "Aryan"), they have been a major civilization for very long time, and they have had a strong influence on the world at large, given their position as a vital link between East and West.

MEDES

Median names are followed by their Greek transcriptions, as those are generally better recognized.

Deioces Kshatrita (Phraortes)

728-675 675-653

Uwakshatra (Cyaxares) Ishtumegu (Astyages)

625-585 585-550

As with the Medes, I give the much more widely recognized Greek transcriptions of these names in parentheses, where I have them available.

Kurush (Cyrus) II the Great Kambujiya (Cambyses) II Smerdis the Usurper Darayavahush (Darius) I the Great Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I the Great Artabanes Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) I Longhand Xshayarsha (Xerxes) II Sogdianos Darayavahush (Darius) II the Bastard Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) II the Mindful Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) III Arsha (Arses) Darayavahush (Darius) III

550-529 529-522 522 522-486 486-466 466-465 465-425 425-424 424-423 423-404 404-359 359-338 338-336 336-330

Arsaces Artabanus I Priapatius Phraates I Mithridates I Phraates II Artabanus II Mithridates II Gotarzes I Orodes I Sanatruces Phraates III Mithridates III Orodes II Phraates IV Tiridates II Phraates IV (restored) Tiridates II (restored) Phraates IV (re-restored) Phraataces Orodes III Vonones I Artabanus III Gotarzes II Vardanes Vonones II Vologases I Pacorus II Artabanus IV Pacorus II (restored) Vologases II Chosroes Parthamaspates Chosroes (restored) Mithridates IV Vologases III Vologases IV vacant Vologases V Artabanus V Artavasdes

SASSANID

Ardashir I Shapur I Hormazd I Bahram I Bahram II Bahram III Narses Hormazd II Adarnarseh Shapur II Ardashir II Shapur III Bahram IV Yazdegerd I Khusrau the Usurper Bahram V the Wild Ass Yazdegerd II Hormazd III Firuz I Balash Kobad I Jamasp Kobad I (restored) Khusrau I the Just Hormazd IV Khusrau II the Victorious Bahram VI the Usurper Khusrau II the Victorious (restored) Kobad II Ardashir III Shahrbaraz the Usurper Khusrau III Juvansher Boran Gushnasbandeh Azarmidurht Hormazd V Khusrau IV Firuz II Khusrau V Yazdegerd III To the Caliphate [Arabs] .... To the Abbasid Caliphs [Arabs] .....

227-241 241-272 272-273 273-276 276-293 293 293-303 303-310 310 310-379 379-383 383-388 388-399 399-420 420 420-438 438-457 457 457-484 484-488 488-497 d. 531 497-499 499-531 531-579 579-590 590 590-591 591-628 628 628-630 630 630 630 630-631 631 631 631-632 632 632 632-633 633-649 d. 651 649-755 755-867

Yaqub the Coppersmith Amir I Tahir

867-879 879-901 901-902 d. 908

 

SELJUQ

Mahmud II Toghril Mas'ud Malik Shah III Mohammed II Sulaiman Shah Arslan Shah Toghril III

Most Iranian locals become Mongol vassals Most of Iran under direct Mongol rule

1221-1253 1253-1295

 

IL-KHANS (Mongol)

(Local Mongol authority under the Great Horde, followed by independent Khans.

Hulegu Khan Abaqa Teguder Arghun Gaikhatu Baidu Mahmud Ghazan Oljeitu Abu Sa'id Arpa Musa Mohammad Sati Beg (fem.) Jahan Timur Suleiman

1256-1265 1265-1282 1282-1284 1284-1291 1291-1295 1295 1295-1304 1304-1316 1316-1335 1335-1336 1336-1337 with... 1336-1338 1338-1339 1339-1340 with... 1339-1343

Timur the Lame Djalal Ud-Din Miran Shah Khalil Sultan Ayyal Ailankar Shah Rukh Ulugh Beg

1380-1405 1405-1409 1409-1414 1414 1414-1415 1415-1447 1447-1449