Cyrus the Great: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Also Known As	Cyrus II
Born	c.590 BCE or c.580 BCE • Media • Iran
Died	c.529 BCE • Asia
Title / Office	king (550BC-529BC), Persia
Founder	Achaemenian dynasty
House / Dynasty	Achaemenian dynasty
Notable Family Members	father Cambyses I • son Cambyses II • son Bardiya
Role In	Greco-Persian Wars • Siege of Sardis

Pasargadae, built by Cyrus after he took the throne, was the ceremonial capital city of the early Achaemenid dynasty.
The Cyrus Cylinder is a building inscription that described and defended Cyrus's conquest of Babylon.
Cyrus's tomb looked like a ziggurat with an ancient Armenian templelike space on top.