e The rest of the world paid little attention
to the Persians until 550 B.C. In that year, Cyrus (SY•ruhs), Persia’s king, began
to conquer several neighboring kingdoms. Cyrus was a military genius, leading
his army from victory to victory between 550 and 539 B.C. In time, Cyrus controlled
an empire that spanned 2,000 miles, from the Indus River in the east to
Anatolia in the west.
