670–550 BC
Media (سرزمین ماد) was an ancient state that emerged on the territory of modern Iran and Azerbaijan and existed from the 7th to the 5th century BC.
The center of the legendary Median kingdom was the city of Ecbatana, now known as Hamadan (همدان), the capital of the Iranian province of the same name.
The political history of Media is marked by clashes between the Medes and the Persians, which continued with alternating success. These conflicts ended with the victory of the forces led by Cyrus II around 550 BC.
Median lands continued to develop even after the fall of Cyrus’s empire, up until the time of Alexander the Great. By then, the once‑legendary kingdom had shrunk to the size of a small satrapy with its center in Urmia.
Median art and culture are well known worldwide. Notable examples include the 5th‑century BC bas‑reliefs in Persepolis depicting Median warriors, as well as luxurious items of toreutics — such as bowls, rhyta, belt fittings, and many other artifacts. Like the legacy of Elam, these cultural treasures have endured through the centuries, outliving the Median and Persian kings.
Another significant religious and cultural phenomenon of this era, mentioned by Herodotus — the “father of history” — were the Magi priests. According to the ancient Greek historian, they were representatives of the Median tribes.
