The ruler associated with the area that became known as the Persian Empire was Cyrus the Great. He founded the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE and is renowned for his remarkable military conquests and policies of tolerance and respect for the cultures of the lands he conquered. Cyrus’s strategies allowed for the successful unification of diverse peoples under Persian rule, including the Medes and Babylonians. His legacy includes the establishment of the Royal Road for communication and trade, as well as the promotion of human rights as seen in the Cyrus Cylinder, often viewed as one of the first charters of human rights.