 Though, as was his custom, Cyrus dealt kindly with Croesus, the once very wealthy Lydian Empire became a Persian satrapy called Saparda (Sardis).The early history of man in Iran goes back well beyond the Neolithic period.Around 6000 BC, when people began to domesticate animals and plant wheat and barley, the number of settled communities increased, particularly in the eastern Zagros mountains, and handmade painted pottery appears.