The majority of the Median Empire is known through the writing of Herodotus, the "father of ancient history." He wrote about the important aspects of his empire, especially its capital Ecbatana, a modern archaeological marvel. The empire began and ended without any major wars or major rivalries, instead it broke away from the Assyrian Empire at its inception and then was absorbed into the Persian at its decline. Thank you Emily Moran for writing on this unique empire.