560 - 500 BC (Guardians)

The latter half of the 6th century BC is mainly concerned with the history and rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire and the fall of its rivals, namely the Median, Neo-Babylonian, and Egyptian Empires. Other notable events that also take place include the smaller but still significant rise of the Lydian Empire and the transitions of Rome and Athens from monarchism and tyranny to republicanism and democracy, respectively.

Babylon
In the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the death of Nebuchadnezzar II in 562 BC heralded the end of a golden age for Mesopotamia. While Babylon continued to be a shining sample of civilization for another few decades, it would eventfully suffer its own fall from grace to be replaced by a different imperial power.

Nebuchadnezzar II's son, Amel-Marduk, did what he thought was best for the Empire and its peoples. Perhaps realizing the complex ethno-religious situation in the Empire or perhaps acting out of spite or vengeance against his father as some records suggest, Amel-Marduk released the Jewish king Jehoiachin, held captive by Nebuchadnezzar II for thirty-seven years. This action created considerable dissent amongst the noble and priestly casts of society, but Amel-Marduk held firm. Drawing upon previous support from his father's legacy as well as the support of the military, Amel-Marduk survived and defeated a coup attempt by his brother-in-law Neriglissar in 560 BC. It is believed that Neriglissar was executed shortly after, although the historical record does not reveal his fate.

Continuing his positive relations with the Jews, perhaps seeing them as a potential source of support against enemies both external and internal, Amel-Marduk ended the Jewish Exodus and allowed the Jews to return to Israel and Judah in 556 BC. This was clearly the most unpopular edict of his reign, and several tablets testify to the discontent that the priests and nobles of the Empire felt towards both this act and Amel-Marduk himself. Despite this, it would appear that Amel-Marduk would manage to hold onto power as king, although he would turn out to be the last of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Persia
In Persia, the Median Empire had traditionally held sway over the region and its politics ever since its establishment in about 678 BC. This was to change, however, when Cyrus the Great led an uprising against Media in an effort replace the old order with a new one. Open warfare broke out in 553 BC and Persian forces were able to quickly assert their independence and seize the majority of Media's eastern provinces. Astyages, the king of Media, faced off against Cyrus at Pasargadae in 550 BC. Despite records of apparent discontent amongst the Median forces, the Medians and Persians clashed, ending with a resounding victory for Cyrus. Disgraced and fearing mutiny, Astyages was forced to call upon his allies the Babylonians in order to put an end to the Persian menace. Despite this new alliances, the Medians and Babylonians were defeated at Bisitun the following year.

While recorded as a terrible administrator, Amel-Marduk was still a competent warrior and tactician, defeating the Persians at the Battle of Opis in 545. This battle, while saving the Mesopotamian heartland, did not eliminate the present threat facing the allies, and to that end Amel-Marduk decided to take the fight to the enemy. In 543 BC, Babylonian forces under Amel-Marduk and spare forces from Media marched on the Mesopotamian city of Susa, recently seized by the Persians. In the ensuing battle, the allied forces defeated the Persians and liberated the city and bringing the war to an effective end. The Median heartland, barely saved by actions in the south, was utterly devastated and Amel-Marduk, as arrogant as he is recorded to be, did not dare march into the mountainous Persian homeland. The situation of the Medians was worsened further by the actions the Lydian Empire, which used the war as an excuse to expand into eastern Anatolia, further weakening the Median Empire. Cyrus, knowing that he still had plenty of fight left in his forces, agreed to peace, waiting for what he viewed was the inevitable collapse of two weakened empires. A peace treaty was signed in 542 BC, ending the Persian-Median War.

True to Cyrus' predictions, the Median and Neo-Babylonian Empires did not last long after the war. Amel-Marduk was assassinated in a conspiracy in 541 BC and what succeeded him was a squabbling mix of nobles and priests from the different Mesopotamian cities. With their benefactor gone, Judah breaks off from the Empire in 540 BC, with Phoenicia following suit a year later. The region of Mesopotamia fractures into numerous smaller states all vying for dominance and power. Notable states that emerged were Nineveh, Ashur, Uruk, Susa, and the weakened but still influential Babylon.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Cyrus leapt back to war, invading Media in 539 BC and effectively annexing it the same year. For the next four years, Cyrus also conquers the disorganized Mesopotamian states, who fail to cease their infighting and offer any meaningful resistance. In 535 BC, Persian forces under Cyrus battle Lydian forces under Croesus fought each other to a stalemate in Cilicia. It is believed that this battle persuaded the Persian Empire to expand south and east and the Lydian Empire to expand west and north.

Unable or unwilling to fight further with the Lydians, Cyrus turned towards the rest of the Levant for his Empire's next expansions. The city states of Phoenicia and the Arab tribes of Sinai crumbled under the power of the Persian armies, but the Jews resisted firmly. After several brutal and bloody battles, the Jews were subjugated in 527 BC by Cyrus' son Cambyses II, who succeeded his father on his deathbed in 530 BC. Cambyses II went on to defeat the Egyptians and later the Nubians and Berbers, resulting in the Achaemenid Persian Empire stretching from Cyrene in Africa to the banks of the Indus in India, the largest empire the world had ever seen in terms of both size and population. Cyrus' legacy was not just this great empire, but also his influence in military strategy and the concept of human rights. Cyrus, while hated by some for his military campaigns, was seen by many as a just and fair ruler, even to those who resisted his armies.