Dashed left edge = started before this timeline ·
Dashed right edge = still ongoing
Events in 559 BC 1
559 BC – 530 BCCyrus the GreatFounder of the Persian EmpireCyrus the Great united the Persians and Medes and conquered Lydia and Babylon to build the first Persian empire. Famed for his tolerance, he freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity, and the Cyrus Cylinder recording his policies is often called the first charter of human rights.