Events from the ancient world are hard to pin down, for obvious reasons. (Hey ancient world, ever heard of this little idea called “not being ancient”?) But we have enough documentation to be reasonably confident that today marks 2,552 years since Persian king Cyrus the Great peaceably marched into ancient Babylon and generally improved a lot of people’s lives on what would have been October 29, 539 BCE. (They used different dates, because again…ancient.)

Cyrus built the biggest empire the world had seen up to that point, which is how guys entertained themselves before “Call of Duty.” But in addition to his military prowess, Cyrus is remembered for his decent treatment of minority groups within his empire. He is revered in Jewish tradition as the liberator of the ancient Hebrews following their Babylonian exile. Cyrus is said to have ordered any destroyed temples rebuilt, which tracks nicely with accounts in the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament that Cyrus returned the exiled Jews to Jerusalem with a commission to rebuild their temple. Cyrus’ policies made such an impression on Jewish people that he is the only Gentile to earn the title of Messiah (a Jewish title for a divinely appointed leader, as opposed to the rather more specific meaning it acquires in Christian tradition).

Cyrus left enough impact on the ancient world to have his rule documented in multiple places, both sacred and otherwise. The clay cylinder created in his name has been called the world’s first human rights charter, although scholars have argued over whether this is overdoing it, considering the entire concept of human rights didn’t exist yet. But at any rate, Cyrus seems to have been a progressive figure for his time. In those days, “not being a homicidal jerk” was generally enough to be considered a good ruler. To be a great one, you needed to go further, and Cyrus seems to have earned his title by encouraging people under his rule to live their lives and express their faiths according to their own beliefs. He may not be mentioned much in Western thought today, but his impact on the traditions and cultures of the Middle East still resonate. Some Iranians still note this date on their calendar as “Cyrus the Great Day.”

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