Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley

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[[File:Chaman Hazouri coin type.jpg|thumb|Achaemenid coin, an imitation of an [[Athenian]] coin type, of the sort found in the [[Kabul hoard]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Errington |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Trust |first2=Ancient India and Iran |last3=Museum |first3=Fitzwilliam |title=The Crossroads of Asia: transformation in image and symbol in the art of ancient Afghanistan and Pakistan |date=1992 |publisher=Ancient India and Iran Trust |isbn=9780951839911 |pages=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfLpAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>]]

[[File:Chaman Hazouri coin type.jpg|thumb|Achaemenid coin, an imitation of an [[Athenian]] coin type, of the sort found in the [[Kabul hoard]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Errington |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Trust |first2=Ancient India and Iran |last3=Museum |first3=Fitzwilliam |title=The Crossroads of Asia: transformation in image and symbol in the art of ancient Afghanistan and Pakistan |date=1992 |publisher=Ancient India and Iran Trust |isbn=9780951839911 |pages=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfLpAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>]]{{POV|date=November 2018|talk=Disputed}}

Around 535 BCE, the Persian king [[Cyrus the Great]] initiated a protracted campaign to absorb parts of [[Indian subcontinent|India]] into his nascent [[Achaemenid Empire]].{{sfn|Sen, Ancient Indian History and Civilization|1999|pages=116–117}} In this initial incursion, the Persian army annexed a large region to the west of the [[Indus River]], consolidating the early eastern borders of their new realm. With a brief pause after Cyrus' death around 530 BCE, the campaign continued under [[Darius the Great]], who began to re-conquer former provinces and further expand the Achaemenid Empire's political boundaries. Around 518 BCE, the Persian army pushed further into India to initiate a second period of conquest by annexing regions up to the [[Jhelum River]] in what is today known as [[Punjab]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=André-Salvini |first=Béatrice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJnaKu9DdNEC |title=Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia |date=2005 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24731-4 |language=en}}</ref> At peak, the Persians managed to take control of most of modern-day [[Pakistan]] and incorporate it into their territory.

Around 535 BCE, the Persian king [[Cyrus the Great]] initiated a protracted campaign to absorb parts of [[Indian subcontinent|India]] into his nascent [[Achaemenid Empire]].{{sfn|Sen, Ancient Indian History and Civilization|1999|pages=116–117}} In this initial incursion, the Persian army annexed a large region to the west of the [[Indus River]], consolidating the early eastern borders of their new realm. With a brief pause after Cyrus' death around 530 BCE, the campaign continued under [[Darius the Great]], who began to re-conquer former provinces and further expand the Achaemenid Empire's political boundaries. Around 518 BCE, the Persian army pushed further into India to initiate a second period of conquest by annexing regions up to the [[Jhelum River]] in what is today known as [[Punjab]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=André-Salvini |first=Béatrice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJnaKu9DdNEC |title=Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia |date=2005 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24731-4 |language=en}}</ref> At peak, the Persians managed to take control of most of modern-day [[Pakistan]] and incorporate it into their territory.