Cyrus the Great died in 530 BCE in Syr Darya, aged about 70. The founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Cyrus overthrew the Median king Astyages around 550 BCE, and went on to defeat Croesus of Lydia and conquer Babylon in 539 BCE, creating the largest empire the world had yet seen. His rule became known for relative tolerance toward conquered peoples and their religions. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay inscription from Babylon, records his policy of restoring temples and returning displaced populations, and the Hebrew Bible credits him with allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem. He died fighting on the northeastern frontier, and his tomb stands at Pasargadae. The year of his birth is uncertain, and the date given is only approximate.
Before and after
- 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
- from c. 510 BCE to 323 BCEClassical Greece
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 499 BCE to 449 BCEGreco-Persian Wars
- from 431 BCE to 404 BCEPeloponnesian War
- 335 BCEAlexander the Great crosses into Asia
- 217 BCEHannibal destroys the Roman army at Cannae
- from 59 BCE to 51 BCECaesar begins the conquest of Gaul
- 2 September 31 BCEOctavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at Actium
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.