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Ancient Persia
Persia (roughly modern-day Iran) is among the oldest inhabited regions in the world. Archaeological sites in the country have established human habitation dating back 100,000 years to the Paleolithic Age with semi-permanent settlements (most...
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The Cyrus Cylinder
This clay tablet dates back to the reign of the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great, who ruled Iran between 550-530 BCE. The cylinder describes the king's peaceful capture of the city of Babylon in the year 539 BCE and he how built the main temple...
Article
Achaemenid Kings List & Commentary
The Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE) was the first great Persian political entity in Western and Central Asia which stretched, at its peak, from Asia Minor to the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia through Egypt. It was founded by Cyrus II (the...
Definition
Ancient Persian Culture
Ancient Persian culture flourished between the reign of Cyrus II (The Great, r. c. 550-530 BCE), founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, and the fall of the Sassanian Empire in 651 CE. Even so, the foundations of Persian culture were already...
Definition
Pasargadae
Pasargadae was one of the oldest residences of the Achaemenid kings, founded by Cyrus the Great (r.559-530). It resembled a park of 2x3 km in which several monumental buildings were to be seen. According to the Roman geographer Strabo of...
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Additional Fragments of the Cyrus Cylinder Text
These 2 small fragments once belonged to a large clay tablet inscribed with a duplicate of the Cyrus Cylinder text. They were identified among The British Museum extensive collections of clay tablets in December 2009 and January 2010. The...
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Cyrus Cylinder
The Cyrus Cylinder, dating from 539 BC. This document is a propaganda one of Cyrus II in order to show his legitimacy to rule in Babylonia.
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Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great (d. 530 BCE) in a detail of a modern copy from a 6th century BCE bas-relief at Pasargadae inscribed "I am Cyrus the king, an Achaemenian". (Olympic Park, Sydney)
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A new beginning for the Middle East: The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia
The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most famous objects to have survived from the ancient world. It was inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform on the orders of Persian King Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC) after he captured Babylon in 539 BC. The...
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Cyrus the Great (Artist's Impression)
King Cyrus the Great (d. 530 BCE) of the Achaemenid Empire depicted in the game Old World.