How much of Europe and North Africa could a Persian empire realistically hold?

Responding to this to try to clarify my comments:

I didn't mean that Egypt isn't controllable, just that it seems as far as the state can exert control when things get unruly (not disputing that it was more a matter of people stirring up trouble artificially than the Egyptians not accepting Persian rule).

Controlling something as far away as Carthage which was giving an equal level of grief would be too much, thus what you said on not going further.

Oh, of course. i must have misunderstood something. As I said before, Carthage is too far. Gandhara was even a stretch, which is why it was lost in Xerxes' time.
 
Oh, of course. i must have misunderstood something. As I said before, Carthage is too far. Gandhara was even a stretch, which is why it was lost in Xerxes' time.

I think I just wrote it badly the first time, so no worries.

On that note, what is Iran in the sense of the Iranian core of the empire?
 
I think I just wrote it badly the first time, so no worries.

On that note, what is Iran in the sense of the Iranian core of the empire?

Iran as in the western Iranian Plateau. Fars, Laristan, Media reaching to Tabriz. To The east lay the Eastern Iranic people such as the Sacians, and Bactrians. Hyrcania was occupied by a unique group of people of the same name.
 
Iran as in the western Iranian Plateau. Fars, Laristan, Media reaching to Tabriz. To The east lay the Eastern Iranic people such as the Sacians, and Bactrians. Hyrcania was occupied by a unique group of people of the same name.

So not really that much out of the empire, all things considered. Interesting.

For some reason when I think of "Persians" as a people I think of "all Persia" (aka more or less modern Iran's borders) as if they were more or less united...instead of merely more or less related.
 
So not really that much out of the empire, all things considered. Interesting.

For some reason when I think of "Persians" as a people I think of "all Persia" (aka more or less modern Iran's borders) as if they were more or less united...instead of merely more or less related.

Well, after what Alexander did and the Parthian invasions really the Persians were the only ones left. Alexander killed off most of the male Bactrians and Sacians and married their wives off to his soldiers.

Under the Sassanids Persians as a unified identity came into view.
 
Well, after what Alexander did and the Parthian invasions really the Persians were the only ones left. Alexander killed off most of the male Bactrians and Sacians and married their wives off to his soldiers.

Under the Sassanids Persians as a unified identity came into view.

Makes sense.

...and now I'm thinking of what Alexander did as less "uniting the ruling classes" and more "breed 'em out". :eek:
 
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