The Tomb of Cyrus the Great is a monumental stone tomb at Pasargadae in southern Iran, built for Cyrus II, the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, who died in 530 BCE. It is a simple stepped platform of limestone blocks topped by a small gabled chamber, which contained a golden sarcophagus according to Greek writers. Alexander the Great visited it and ordered its restoration after finding it damaged, and ancient authors recorded a modest inscription on it. The tomb is one of the few monuments of the Achaemenid period to survive largely intact, and it is a national symbol in Iran. Pasargadae was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Before and after
- 543 BCEOrigins of Phanagoria
- c. 539 BCEMaking of the Cyrus cylinder
- 535 BCEBirth of Heraclitus
- c. 535 BCEGreek tragedy is born at the Athenian festival of Dionysus
- 530 BCEConstruction of Tomb of Cyrus the Great
- 530 BCEDeath of Cyrus the Great
- 525 BCEBirth of Aeschylus
- from 525 BCE to 404 BCETwenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 31st century BCE to 14th century BCEConstruction of Stonehenge
- 13th century BCEAncient Celts
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- 80 CEThe Colosseum is inaugurated
- from 285 CE to 1453Byzantine Empire
- 25 March 421 CEFounding of Venice
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 6th century BCE.