The Rise of Cyrus the Great and the Persian Empire

Bedtime History: Inspirational Stories for Kids and Families

Bedtime History

Education, Kids & Family, Stories For Kids, Education For Kids

4.4 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Empire, one of the largest and most influential empires in history. Known for his military brilliance, innovative leadership, and policies of tolerance, he united vast territories under one rule. This episode explores his conquests, the creation of the Cyrus Cylinder, and his enduring legacy as a leader who valued both power and justice. 💵 Get a free month of Acorns Early: ⁠⁠⁠⁠acornsearly.com/bedtimehistory⁠⁠⁠ 🍎 Get 30% off your first month of Outschool: ⁠⁠https://outschool.com/bedtime⁠⁠ 📢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate via Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a shout-out! 🎉 Check out our new show, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bedtime Safari⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📺⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👍 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🇲🇽⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spanish | "Déjame contarte la Historia"⁠⁠⁠

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	A long time ago, in the land we now call Iran, there was a great empire called the Persian Empire.
0:06.2	It was also known as the Akhminid Empire. This empire started around 550 BCE. It became one of the
0:14.4	largest empires the world had ever seen. It began with a smart and brave leader named Cyrus
0:20.0	the Great. Cyrus was born around 600 BCE.
0:23.6	He became king of a small land called Anshan.
0:26.6	It was part of a larger group of people called the Persians.
0:30.6	Cyrus wanted to unite the people around him.
0:33.6	He started by fighting the Medes, a powerful group nearby.
0:36.6	The Medes and the Persians
0:38.8	spoke the same language and had many things in common. After Cyrus won, he joined the
0:44.6	Medes and the Persians together. This was the beginning of the Persian Empire. Cyrus kept
0:50.2	going. He led his army to fight the rich kingdom of Lydia, which is now part of Turkey. He
0:55.4	won that battle too. Then he turned to Babylon. Babylon was one of the most famous cities in the world.
1:02.1	It was full of wealth, strong walls, and smart leaders. But in 539 BCE, Cyrus and his army took the city
1:10.2	without a big fight.
1:12.3	The people of Babylon welcomed him.
1:14.8	They were tired of their old king.
1:16.9	Cyrus treated them well.
1:18.4	He let them keep their temples and their ways of life.
1:21.9	One of the most important things Cyrus did was let people go home.
1:27.1	Many groups of people had been taken from their lands by other kings.
1:31.0	Cyrus said they could return. One of those groups was the Jewish people. They had been taken to Babylon
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bedtime History, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Bedtime History and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.