| c. 600 BC | Cyrus the Great is born, likely in the Persian city of Anshan, to Cambyses I and Mandane of Media. |
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| 559 BC | Cyrus becomes the king of Anshan after the death of his father, Cambyses I. |
| 550 BC | Cyrus the Great overthrows his maternal grandfather, Astyages, and the Median Empire. He incorporates Media into the Persian Empire. |
| 547-546 BC | Cyrus conquers the Lydian Kingdom, led by King Croesus, and expands the Persian Empire to include Asia Minor. |
| 539 BC |
Cyrus the Great captures Babylon and frees the Jewish people from their captivity. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay document, records his decree allowing religious freedom and the return of displaced peoples to their homelands. |
| 538 BC | Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible. |
| 530 BC |
Cyrus the Great dies in battle, possibly against the Massagetae or the Scythians. His son, Cambyses II, succeeds him as king of the Persian Empire. |
| c. 515 BC | The tomb of Cyrus the Great is completed in Pasargadae, the first capital of the Persian Empire. |