The earliest records of Cappadocia date back to the second half of the 6th century B.C. At that time, it was the property of two Achaemenid kings of Persia - Darius the Great and Xerxes I.

The Achaemenids were a dynasty that ruled Persia between 550 and 330 B.C. The peak of their power was during the reign of Darius the Great and Xerxes I, when Persia reached its most extensive size stretching from Asia Minor and Egypt to India.