c. 600-529 B.C.

Persian king and emperor who established the Persian Empire. He succeeded his father as prince of Persis, a part of the Median Empire. He rebelled against and defeated the Medes and went on to conquer other neighboring nations including Iran and the Babylonian Empire. The resulting Persian Empire remained powerful until conquered by Alexander the Great. Cyrus freed the Israelites from captivity in Babylon, allowing them to return to Jerusalem.