Cyrus II the Great

A portrait of Cyrus the Great.

The Achaemid Family Tree showing the merging or the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians to create the Medo-Persian Empire.

Cyrus II (also called Cyrus the Great) (576-529 BC) was the Emperor of the Persian Empire. He is famous for conquering Babylon and letting the Jews go back to Israel.

At its greatest extent, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest ancient empire, spanning three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. The empire included modern-day Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and northern Saudi Arabia.

External links

• History of Iran: Achaemenid Empire
• The Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 B.C.
• The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 B.C.)