Persia was a country that also became a powerful empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. The country of Persia was located southeast of Babylonia and Assyria in a region that is now the modern-day country of Iran.
* Under King Cyrus' decree, the Jews were freed from their captivity in Babylon and allowed to go home, and the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt, with funds provided by the Persian Empire.