The history of the Achaemenid dynasty is mainly known through
Greek historians, such as
Herodotus,
Thucydides, and
Xenophon. Additional sources include the
Hebrew Bible, other
Jewish religious texts, and
native Iranian sources. According to Herodotus, the Achaemenids were a clan of the
Pasargadae tribe:These were the leading tribes, on which all the other Persians were dependent, namely the Pasargadae, Maraphians, and Maspioi. Of these, the Pasargadae are the most noble and include the family of Achaemenids, the Kings of Persia, who are descendants of
Perseus.
Darius the Great, in an effort to establish his legitimacy, later traced his genealogy to
Achaemenes, Persian . His son was given as
Teispes, and from him came in turn Ariaramnes, Arsames, and
Hystaspes. However, there is no historical evidence for any of these. ==Dynasty==