Late Period

Darius I

27th Dynasty (First Persian Period) · 525-404 BCE

Reign begins522 BCE

Reign ends486 BCE

Dynasty span525-404 BCE

Illustrated encyclopedia entry for Darius I

Full profile

Administrative integration and codification

Darius I ruled Egypt as part of the vast Achaemenid Empire while implementing policies that respected and supported local religious institutions. He famously ordered the codification of Egyptian laws in consultation with native priests. He also focused heavily on infrastructure, completing the Red Sea canal project initiated by earlier Saite pharaohs, which connected the Nile to the Red Sea and boosted international trade across the empire.