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The Persian Immortals were an elite military unit in operation for around two centuries, almost the entire lifespan of the Achaemenid empire, which ran from 550 BC until 330 BC. Ten thousand-strong, the Immortals represented the absolute cream of the empire\u2019s troops and operated as both the emperor\u2019s guard and part of the standing army.<\/p>\n
Founded by Cyrus the Great<\/a>, the Achaemenid empire covered a vast territory across western Asia. From his base in the southwestern corner of the Iranian plateau, Cyrus conquered several regions \u2013 including the Median and Babylonian empires, and the kingdom of Lydia. In doing so, he created what would \u2013 under the later rule of Xerxes I, who himself conquered much of northern and central Greece \u2013 become the largest empire in history in terms of population, stretching from the Indus Valley in the east to the Balkans in the west.<\/p>\n The Immortals are understood to have been originally assembled following the capture of Babylon<\/a> in 539 BC. The female commander Pantea Arteshbod, believed to have been appointed to govern Babylon under Cyrus\u2019 rule, is thought to have been the architect of the Immortals, establishing them as an elite guard. A counter claim comes from Xenophon, who \u2013 in Cyropaedia, his partly fictional biography of Cyrus \u2013 declares that it was Cyrus himself who constructed a palace guard from the most fearsome soldiers in his standing army, the spada.<\/p>\n Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, an expert in ancient history, responds to listener questions and popular internet search queries on the Persian empire in this episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nWhen were they first established?<\/h2>\n