Editing Susa (section)

===Susa after Achaemenid Persian conquest===

[[File:National Meusem Darafsh 6 (42).JPG|thumb|left|Statue of [[Darius I|Darius the Great]], [[National Museum of Iran]]]]
[[File:Archers frieze Darius 1st Palace Suse Louvre AOD 488 a.jpg|thumb|Archers frieze from [[Darius' palace at Susa]]. Detail of the beginning of the frieze]]
[[File:Darius I statue list of subject countries.jpg|thumb|The 24 countries subject to the Achaemenid Empire at the time of Darius, on the [[:Commons:Category:Statue of Darius I|Statue of Darius I]].]]

Susa underwent a major [[political]] and [[ethnocultural]] transition when it became part of the Persian [[Achaemenid]] empire between 540 and 539&nbsp;BC when it was captured by [[Cyrus the Great]] during his conquest of [[Elam]] (Susiana), of which Susa was the capital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.achemenet.com/ressources/enligne/arta/pdf/2004.003-Tavernier.pdf |title=Some Thoughts in Neo-Elamite Chronology|last=Tavernier|first=Jan|page=27}}</ref> The Nabonidus Chronicle records that, prior to the battle(s), Nabonidus had ordered cult statues from outlying Babylonian cities to be brought into the capital, suggesting that the conflict over Susa had begun possibly in the winter of 540&nbsp;BC.<ref>Kuhrt, Amélie. "Babylonia from Cyrus to Xerxes", in ''The Cambridge Ancient History: Vol IV&nbsp;— Persia, Greece and the Western Mediterranean'', pp.112–138. Ed. John Boardman. [[Cambridge University Press]], 1982. {{ISBN|0-521-22804-2}}</ref>

It is probable that Cyrus negotiated with the Babylonian generals to obtain a compromise on their part and therefore avoid an armed confrontation.<ref>Tolini, Gauthier, ''Quelques éléments concernant la prise de Babylone par Cyrus'', Paris. "Il est probable que des négociations s'engagèrent alors entre Cyrus et les chefs de l'armée babylonienne pour obtenir une reddition sans recourir à l'affrontement armé." [http://www.achemenet.com/ressources/enligne/arta/pdf/2005.003-Tolini.pdf p. 10] (PDF)</ref> Nabonidus was staying in the city at the time and soon fled to the capital, Babylon, which he had not visited in years.<ref>The Harran Stelae H2 – A, and the [[Nabonidus Chronicle]] (Seventeenth year) show that Nabonidus had been in Babylon before 10 October 539, because he had already returned from Harran and had participated in the Akitu of Nissanu 1 [4 April], 539&nbsp;BC.</ref>
Cyrus' conquest of Susa and the rest of Babylonia commenced a fundamental shift, bringing Susa under Persian control for the first time. [[Strabo]] stated that Cyrus made Susa an imperial capital though there was no new construction in that period so this is in dispute.<ref>Waters, Matt, "CYRUS AND SUSA", Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie Orientale, vol.102, pp.115–18, 2008</ref>

Under Cyrus' son [[Cambyses II]], Susa became a center of political power as one of four capitals of the Achaemenid Persian empire, while reducing the significance of [[Pasargadae]] as the capital of Persis. Following Cambyses' brief rule, [[Darius the Great]] began a major building program in Susa and [[Persepolis]], which included building a large [[Palace of Darius in Susa|palace]].<ref>Unvala, J. M., "The Palace of Darius the Great and the Apadāna of Artaxerxes II in Susa", Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, vol.5, no.2, pp.229–32, 1929</ref> During this time he describes his new capital in an inscription:

"This palace which I built at Susa, from afar its ornamentation was brought. Downward the earth was dug, until I reached rock in the earth. When the excavation had been made, then rubble was packed down, some 40&nbsp;cubits in depth, another part 20&nbsp;cubits in depth. On that rubble the palace was constructed."<ref>Kent, Roland G., "The Record of Darius's Palace at Susa", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 1–23, 1933</ref>

The city forms the setting of ''[[The Persians]]'' (472&nbsp;BC), an [[Classical Athens|Athenian]] [[tragedy]] by the [[ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] playwright [[Aeschylus]] that is the oldest surviving play in the [[history of theatre]].

Events mentioned in the [[Old Testament]] book of [[Esther]] are said to have occurred in Susa during the Achaemenid period. The King [[Ahasuerus]] mentioned in that book may refer to [[Xerxes I]] (486-465&nbsp;BC).