Universal Encyclopedia
Who was Cyrus the Great?
Cyrus the Great (died 530 BC) founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the first true superpower in history — stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River — and pioneered an imperial model based on respecting the religions and customs of conquered peoples rather than terrorizing them.
Last updated: October 2026
After taking Babylon in 539 BC he freed the Jewish captives held there and funded the rebuilding of their temple — the act that earned him the title “Messiah” in the Hebrew Bible, the only non-Jew so honored. His Cylinder, a clay proclamation of tolerance, sits in the British Museum as the ancient world’s most famous charter of rights.