Cyrus II (d. 530 BCE), also known as Cyrus the Great, was the fourth king of Anshan and the first king of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus led several military campaigns against the most powerful kingdoms of the time, including Media, Lydia, and Babylonia. Through these campaigns, he united much of the Middle East under Persian hegemony while keeping the local administration mostly intact. By guaranteeing some continuity and thus winning the loyalty of the elite, he laid the foundations for the Achaemenid Empire.
More about: Cyrus the GreatDefinition
Timeline
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553 BCECyrus the Great successfully rebels against the Medes and establishes the Achaemenid Empire of Persia.
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550 BCECyrus the Great defeats Astyages of the Medes and decides to found Pasargadae at the site of the battle.
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c. 546 BCECyrus the Great begins construction of Pasargadae.
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544 BCEFoundation of Cyropolis on the Iaxartes river.
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c. 539 BCECyrus the Great conquers Babylon; the Fertile Crescent is controlled by the Achaemenid Empire (The First Persian Empire).
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530 BCECyrus II killed by the Massagetae of Tomyris' army near the Iaxartes.
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400 BCERemains of Cyrus the Younger's Persian army arrive in Trapezus.
