Cyrus the Great became the ruler of the Persians in 558 BC and ruled a rapidly expanding empire, extending from the Aegean to the Indies, from his capital of Pasargadae in modern Iran. He made Persia the center of a mighty new empire.
Cyrus lived at the beginning of the Iron Age when city-state was the dominant form of government and Mesopotamia was in the grip of chaos following the destruction of Nineveh.
Inheriting the rule of a minor kingdom, he forged the first great nation-state, melding in one life the arts of both war and peace. Cyrus commanded a mighty army of cavalry and skilled archers, Taking advantage of the weakness of his neighbors, he conquered an empire extending from the Mediterranean to Afghanistan.
Cyrus defeated the Medeans in battle in 550 BC and they later became loyal subjects of his empire. In 547 BC Cyrus also defeated Croesus, ruler of the wealthy kingdom of Lydia.
According to the historian Herodotus, Croesus, whose name later became synonymous with great wealth, threw himself onto a funeral pyre after his defeat, but was saved by Cyrus and went on to become a close advisor to the Persian king.
Cyrus died while campaigning against the nomadic Massagetae between the Caspian and Aral Seas, in 530 BC.
Cyrus the Great
