What was most important about King Darius the FIRST?
Darius is noted for having united Persia and some years of disintegration. He completed the process of organizing the empire into 20 satrapies that Cyrus 2 the Great had started. He built highways, established a postal system and helped the economy by having coinage, weights and measures standardized. He sent expeditions to explore travel routes in neighbour countries, and he completed the canal from the Nile to the Red Sea. He was also a king of great religious tolerance, allowing the practice of different religions, even himself adhering the different gods and cult centres. He even built a temple to the Egyptian god Amon in Kharga Oasis (more info). It is generally assumed that it was Darius 1 who introduced Zoroastrianism as the state religion. He made great territorial advances, both into the Indus Valley (now Pakistan) and the Caucasus Mountains. Many building projects were started during the reign of Darius, the largest being the building of the new capital of Persepolis. Pasarga
