• Cyrus the Great, ruled from c.550 - 530 BC
• Cambyses, ruled 530 - 521 BC
• Smerdis, ruled 521 BC
• Darius I, ruled 521 -486 BC
• Xerxes I, ruled 486 -465 BC
• Artaxerxes I, ruled 464 - 425 BC
• Darius II, ruled 423 - 404 BC
• Artaxerxes II, ruled 404 - 358 BC (see also Xenophon)
• Artaxerxes III[?], ruled 358 - 338 BC
• Arses, ruled 338 - 336 BC
• Darius III Codomannus, ruled 336 -330 BC

Macedonian Dynasty

• Alexander the Great (330 BC-323 BC)
• Philip Arrhidaios[?] (323 BC-317 BC)
• Alexander IV) (323 BC-310 BC)

Seleucid dynasty

• Seleucus I Nicator (312 BC/305 BC-281 BC)
• Antiochus I Soter (co-ruler from 291, ruled 281-261 BC)
• Antiochus II Theos (261-246 BC)
• Seleucus II Callinicus (246-225 BC)
• Seleucus III Soter[?] (225-223 BC)
• Antiochus III the Great (223-187 BC)
• Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 BC)
• Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC)

(The Seleucid Dynasty gradually lost control of Persia. In 253 BC, the Arsacid Dynasty established itself in Parthia. The Parthians gradually expanded their control, until by the mid 2nd Century BC, the Seleucids had completely lost control of Persia. There were more Seleucid rulers of Syria and, for a time, Babylonia, after Antiochus IV, but none had any effective power in Persia).

Parthian dynasty

• Arsaces I 246-211 BC
• Artabanus I 211-191 BC
• Priapatius 191-176 BC
• Phraates I 176-171 BC
• Mithridates I 171-138 BC
• Phraates II 138-128 BC
• Artabanus II 128-124 BC
• Mithridates II 124-87 BC
• Gotarzes I 91-78 BC
• Orodes I d.78 BC
• Sanatruces 77-70 BC
• Phraates III 70-58 BC
• Mithridates III 58-57 BC
• Orodes II 57-37 BC
• Phraates IV 37-30 BC
• Tiridates II 30-29 BC
• Phraates IV (restored) 29-28 BC
• Tiridates II (restored) 28-26 BC
• Phraates IV (restored) 26-2 BC
• Phraataces 2 BC - 4 AD
• Orodes III 4-7
• Vonones I 7-11
• Artabanus III 11-38
• Gotarzes II 38-51
• Vardanes 39-47
• Vonones II 51
• Vologases I 51-78
• Pacorus II 78-79
• Artabanus IV 79-81
• Pacorus II (restored) 81-115
• Vologases II 106
• Chosroes 109
• Parthamaspates 116
• Chosroes (restored) 117-128
• Mithridates IV 128-147
• Vologases III 148-192
• Vologases IV 191
• vacant 192-207 (?)
• Vologases V 207-213
• Artabanus V 213-226
• Artavasdes 226-227

Sassanid dynasty, 224-651

• See Sassanians.

part of Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750 part of Abbasid Caliphate, 750-867 divided, 867-1029

Seljuk Dynasty, 1029-1194

divided, 1194-1256

Ilkhans[?], 1256-1343

divided, 1343-1380

Timurid[?] Dynasty, 1380-1449

divided, 1449-1502

Safavid Dynasty, 1502-1736

Afsharid[?] Dynasty, 1736-1749

Zand[?] Dynasty, 1750-1794

Qajar[?] Dynasty, 1779-1925

• Abbas Mirza

Pahlavi Dynasty[?], 1925-1979

• Reza Pahlavi
• Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Islamic Republic, 1979 -

See also History of Levant