In 559 BC a man became king of the Persians. This man would unite the Persians and conquer three of the four major powers of the ancient Near East in the first 20 years of his reign. In doing this he would start the creation of what becomes the Persian Empire. This man was Cyrus the Great.

Cyrus the great was able to do this because of his excellent military leadership. In the first nine years as king of the Persians he assembled an army and conquered his neighbor the Medes. Ten years after he defeats the Medes, Cyrus conquers the kingdom of Lydia, whose wealth was legendary. This brought the Persians to their first contact with the Greeks. The Greek settlements on the Ionian coast had been subjects of Lydia and had grown rich through trade. Cyrus saw this and easily conquered them, then placed them under control of rulers loyal to him. This greatly increased the wealth of the Persians. One year later Cyrus captured Babylon and made it part of the Persian Empire. This was the last of Cyrus's conquest. He spent the next eight years consolidating his empire. In 530 BC he was killed in battle against Messagetae. There have been many kings in the past who were excellent military leads, but what made Cyrus the Great worthy of his name was how he ruled his empire.Cyrus was an unusual ruler for his time. He was a man who showed considerable compassion and wisdom in the way he ruled. Cyrus gained the favor of priesthood of his own people and the people he conquered by allowing much religious toleration. The greatest example of this was when he conquered Babylon. Cyrus allowed the people of Judah to return to their homeland, which they were removed from during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and rebuild their temple. He also undid the destruction caused by Nabonidus by returning the statues of gods that the Babylonian ruler had taken from different Babylonian cities. Many people thought of Cyrus as a great leader and pe...

Nearly 2500 years following his death, thousands of people still visit Cyrus the Great’s tomb at Pasargarde, a village in the Fars Province of Iran, annually. Visitors pay homage to a man who had the vision and the strength of character to implement reforms that brought peace to his subjects and respected the principles of human rights and religious tolerance.  Cyrus is also remembered for his masterful diplomacy and his magnanimous treatement of defeated rivals.

During his reign, Cyrus conquered the Median, the Lydian and the Neo-Babylonian empires. He later led an expedition into central Asia, which further expanded the territories under his rule.  The reforms that he instituted during his 30 years on the throne combined the unique strengths, customs, and values of each of the conquered territories with the rich culture of Persia.  Ruling from his capital at Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great’s beliefs and principles, and respect for the cultures and peoples he conquered, were instrumental in defining what would later be called one of the first charters of human rights: the Cyrus Cylinder.

Today Cyrus the Great is not known only for the cylinder that bears his name but also for his impact on ancient and modern history. The Persian Empire and its rise under Cyrus introduced Persian philosophy, literature, and religion to the world, where they continued to play a prominent role for centuries to come.  Cyrus  is also well regarded for his role as a statesman and politician. The reforms he instituted in the Persian Empire would later be emulated in other parts of the world. Referred to as “The Lawmaker” by the Greeks, Cyrus advocated for a government that was developed to benefit its subjects and included one of the first constitutions and judicial systems.  He also implemented the creation of standardized gold and silver coins, thus transitioning the empire from a barter economy into a money economy. His rule greatly influenced the thinking of Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, Alexander the Great, the Macedonian ruler, and the government of the Roman Empire.  He is referred to by name in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as the patron and deliverer of the Jews.

“Success always calls for greater generosity–though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed. Collecting

boot [is] not an end itself, but only a means for building [an] empire. Riches would be of little use to us now–except as a means of winning new friends.”

Cyrus the Great is famed as a triumphant conqueror, a superb warrior, and the founder of the greatest empire the world has ever seen.

 By pursuing a policy of generosity, instead of repression, Cyrus demonstrated his Greatness. So successful were his policies of conquest, mercifulness and assimilation that the empire continued to thrive for some 200 years after his death. Cyrus' compassionate principles continue to resonate today: his religious and cultural tolerance and commitment to the liberation of enslaved peoples remain an aspiration in our troubled modern world.

Cyrus the Great had a lot of respect for ethical values. Unquestionably, his moral values and leadership skills affected his highly successful and respected situation throughout his empire era and among all people under his government.