Persian tradition dates the celebration of Nowruz, the Zoroastrian new year marking the spring equinox, to Cyrus the Great's era in Persia.

Ancient Persians celebrated Nowruz, the spring equinox new year, a tradition rooted in Zoroastrian cosmology that endures across Iran and Central Asia today.

Cyrus the Great's Persian forces took Babylon largely without a fight, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire and freeing captive peoples including the Judean exiles.

Persian king Cyrus the Great's forces took control of Babylon, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire and reshaping the ancient Near East.