Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great (c.590–529 B.C.), founder of the Persian empire. He conquered Media (c.559), Lydia (c.547), and Babylonia (c.539), building an empire whose territory extended from the Black and Caspian seas to the Arabian Desert and Persian Gulf. He allowed the Jews to return from Babylonia to Palestine and did not suppress the religions of the various parts of the empire.

See also: Persia, Ancient.