Cyrus the Great takes Babylon, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire; he later allows exiled Judeans to return to Judah.
Cyrus II defeats the Median king Astyages, laying the foundation of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the largest empire of its time.
Darius I takes the throne, organising the empire into satrapies and building Persepolis and the Royal Road.
Nebuchadnezzar II's forces take Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple and deport many Judeans to Babylon.
A Babylonian and Median coalition sacks Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, marking the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
The Neo-Assyrian Empire captures Samaria, ending the northern Kingdom of Israel and deporting part of its population.
Alexander the Great defeats Darius III, sealing the fall of the Achaemenid Empire.