Cyrus founds the Achaemenid Persian empire
Cyrus the Great conquered Media, Lydia and Babylon; his successors ruled the largest empire yet seen through satrapies, tribute and relative tolerance of local customs and religions.
Why it matters
The Persian model — local autonomy under imperial security, an imperial road and courier system, a universal ideology of order (asha) — became the reference point for empire from Alexander to the Ottomans.
People
Cyrus the Great · Darius I
Related events
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica — Achaemenian dynasty