Cyrus the Great

About Cyrus the Great

Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from the Balkans to the Indus Valley. His historical importance, reflected in his #263 rank by MIT's Pantheon project, stems from his innovative governance, notably his policy of religious and cultural tolerance across his diverse subjects, which contrasted sharply with the practices of many preceding rulers. His conquest of Media, Lydia, and Babylon fundamentally reshaped the Near East in the 6th century BCE.

Despite this profound historical influence, Cyrus currently receives modest digital attention, garnering approximately 1.4 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This places him in an overattention category (+3x gap) relative to his historical standing when benchmarked against other political figures of similar influence, though his absolute view count is far surpassed by modern personalities. For instance, he receives less than half the annual views of Mary, Queen of Scots (#532 importance), who ranks significantly lower in the historical importance index.

His 2025 momentum data indicates a slight cooling of interest, with a notable 15% decline in attention between the first and third quarters of the year, suggesting his historical profile is currently static or slowly receding in the digital sphere.