gan anew era in the age of empire building, where avast superstate, comprising many dozens of countries, races, religions, and languages, were ruled under a single administration headed by a central government. In 1992, he was ranked #87 on Michael H. Hart's list of the most influential figures in history. On December 10, 2003, in her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi evoked Cyrus, saying I am an Iranian, a descendant of Cyrus the Great. This emperor proclaimed at the pinnacle of power 2,500 years ago that he 'would not reign over the people if they did not wish it' He promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all. The Charter of Cyrus the Great should be studied in the history of human rights" Many of the forefathers of the United States of America sought inspiration from Cyrus the Great through works such as Cyropaedia. Thomas Jefferson, for example, had two personal copies of the book, "which was a mandatory read for statesmen alongside Machiavelli s The Prince" Ina recent segment of ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel, Ted Koppel mentioned Cyrus the Great, when he was talking about the new documentary film being made in his honor, and had this to say of him “Cyrus the Great is genuinely one of history's towering figures. America's own foun- ders such as Thomas Jefferson were influenced by Cyrus the Great in the field of Human Rights.” -- Reference Wikipedia.org back to 171)
