Other possible counterparts of the Persians in the Classical age?

Excluding the Persian/Parthian Empire, what people of the Middle East from the Bronze age till Alexander do you see able to build a multicultural nation in that area capable to resist so far, at least until to match the Greeks, the Carthaginians or even the Romans? By logic, it will be easy to reply Neo Assirians, Neo Babylonians or Medians, but why don't try to imagine the overextention of Pharaonical Egypt, the rise of Davidic Israel, or maybe also a revival of Sumers from Larsa, Ur, or Lagash? The choice is to select from all the peoples and the state-cities in that region for about 2,500 years... To make more simple the siutation, it will not be necessary to imagine an "universal empire", it could be interesting also to thing about a fractured Middle East..
 
The problem is that the chaos of the second millennium BC makes it very difficult for any states to survive for a very long time. Babylon was sacked by the Hatti and ruled by the Kassites, the Mitanni took northern Mesopotamia and were in turn wiped out by the Guti...

The situation at the time is too confusing until the second Assyrian rise to power. Davidic Israel didn't exist, most likely, and Israel only survived because of the unusual power vacuum in the Near east at the time. As soon as Egypt and Assyria began re-exerting their power it was over for them. One I can think of could be Palmyra, though that's a bit later. Some unifying force of the Aramean states, perhaps after a success against Assyria at qarqar could be a possibility.
 
There were a lot of city states in that region. Pick one, give it a powerful set of rulers, and let them loose upon their neighbours... ;)

I've always felt that the 'random state rises and gets powerful rulers and stuff since I don't actually know much about it' cliche was a fairly annoying one.
 
Not to mention that powerful leaders coming out of nowhere are hit or miss.

If you want a state capable of lasting, it needs to outlive its founder.

And a great leader alone does not produce the infrastructure-of-empire needed - he might begin the process that will see Randopolis there, but "Two hundred years after Genericus, the Randopians with an efficient bureaucracy and cunning use of camels ruled over Syria" is a lot more like work to develop as a plausible idea than it was to come up with that to make a point.

Great Empires don't rise from nothing. Yes, even including the Mongols and the Caliphate.
 
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The problem is that the chaos of the second millennium BC makes it very difficult for any states to survive for a very long time. Babylon was sacked by the Hatti and ruled by the Kassites, the Mitanni took northern Mesopotamia and were in turn wiped out by the Guti...

The situation at the time is too confusing until the second Assyrian rise to power. Davidic Israel didn't exist, most likely, and Israel only survived because of the unusual power vacuum in the Near east at the time. As soon as Egypt and Assyria began re-exerting their power it was over for them. One I can think of could be Palmyra, though that's a bit later. Some unifying force of the Aramean states, perhaps after a success against Assyria at qarqar could be a possibility.

Actually, we have a record of both David and some sort of Israel existing in the form of the Tel Dan Stela in which King Hazael of Aram-Syria records his victory over 'the House of David' and Judea. Agreed though that the survival of Israel was due more to being in a power vaccum.

Could we do something with the Hittites? Or prevent Cyrus from leading Persia to topple Media?
 
Assyrians, Neo-Babylonians, and all the like where not "multiculturals". Subjugated cultures were REALLY subjugated, not recognized on something like equal footing (as Cyrus seemingly did at least in part).
IMHO, this Holds for any likely Mesopotamian or Levant based Empire.
Lydia was more multicultural but has a highly eccentric location for the OP discussed area. Not sure about Urartu, it may have had the potential if not defeated at Kishtan.
 
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