II. Cyrus, also known by his renowned title Cyrus the Great, lived between 600-530 BC and was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. The Greeks referred to him as "Old Cyrus." Let's delve into the extraordinary life story of Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, whose exploits could rival Hollywood scripts.
According to Herodotus, Cyrus was the grandson of the Median king Astyages. One day, Astyages had a dream where a great flood emanated from his daughter and engulfed all of Asia. The interpreters suggested that this foretold a major problem for the Median king. In response, Astyages married his daughter to Cambyses, a quiet and composed man. When she became pregnant, the old king had another dream. This time, a vine grew from his daughter's womb and covered all of Asia. The seers interpreted this as a sign that Astyages' future grandson would take the throne from him. Upon this prophecy, the newborn was handed over to a servant to be killed.
The servant couldn't bring himself to do it and gave the infant boy to a cowherd couple to raise. Years passed, and when young Cyrus reached adolescence, he was no longer like his peers. He exhibited noble behavior and even began playing games with royal titles. When rumors of the child's noble heritage reached the palace, the servant was interrogated, and the truth came out. As a consequence of his failed mission, the servant's own child was turned into a stew and fed to him!
The seer advised Astyages to spare his grandson's life, and Cyrus was not put to death. As Cyrus grew older, he set his sights on the throne and, inciting his Persian mercenaries against his grandfather, Astyages was overthrown (550 BC). It's evident that the seer's initial prophecy came true. Legend has it that Cyrus, after initially convincing his Persian soldiers to clear bushes and hosting a feast for them, asked them why they were content being slaves to the Medes instead of supporting him. This ignited the spark.
When Cyrus ascended the throne, he did not order the cruel demise of his grandfather, and he treated Astyages with great tolerance, allowing him to live in the palace until his death. In short, Cyrus came to power through a military coup. King Cyrus initially ruled over the region of Anshan, which is the present-day ruler of southern Iran. He later took control of the larger empire, the Medes, and established the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus, who buried the Mede Empire in history, now bordered the Lydians, who were the first to discover wealth with their rich harbors and treasury. The Kızılırmak River was accepted as the border between Lydia and the Median Empire before Cyrus, and these two countries coexisted in peace.
However, despite this, Cyrus was a new ruler. King Croesus of Lydia, seeking to expand his borders to the east and seeking revenge for his deposed father-in-law, Astyages, who was also Cyrus's grandfather, attacked Persian territory. Although the Lydians were confident in their wealth and walls and relied on their mercenaries, money couldn't deter Cyrus's ambition. Crossing the Kızılırmak, the Lydian king attacked Persian cities. Cyrus, with his army, quickly confronted him, but both sides suffered heavy losses, and no clear victor emerged. When Lydia's King Croesus realized he was outnumbered, and upon Cyrus's withdrawal, he set out to return to Sardis (present-day Salihli). However, Cyrus, wanting to finish what was started, pursued him. In 547 BC, the Battle of Thymbra took place.
When the mercenary soldiers on the battlefield realized that their lives were more precious, the Lydians experienced a major collapse, and in the face of defeat, the remaining soldiers and the Lydian king retreated to Sardis. Great Cyrus besieged Sardis, and on the 14th day of the siege, the Lydian capital was captured. King Croesus, who managed to survive by the skin of his teeth and escape, became a captive to King Cyrus. Lydia quickly merged into the Persian Empire's territories and was erased from history. The Greeks had now come face to face with the fear of the Persians. Cyrus placed Croesus, along with the wealth of gold mines and his treasury, under his control. The Battle of Thymbra marked a turning point in Anatolian history.
The most crucial factor in Cyrus's successful rule was the new form of governance he established. If you were under Cyrus's dominion, as long as you didn't rebel, you could worship and believe in any religion you chose. This made the Persian Empire a multicultural entity. Cyrus's Persian Empire was the first truly multicultural empire in history.
Cyrus, despite commissioning grand gardens and structures, spent most of his life engaged in military campaigns. After campaigns in Anatolia and Babylon, he turned his sights to the lands of Tomris, the first female ruler of the Turks in the Kazakhstan region. However, Tomris Hatun, the leader of the Scythian Saka Turks, was a warrior commander skilled in horseback riding and wielding a sword from her childhood.
After capturing the city of Babylon, Cyrus offered a marriage proposal to Tomris Hatun through diplomatic channels. Of course, his intention was not her beauty. He coveted the lands of the Massagetae tribe. In the initial stages, Cyrus hosted a feast by the Aras River and invited the Scythian army. After the feast, he intoxicated them with an unfamiliar drink, and then captured and subsequently killed Tomris's son. One-third of the Scythian army fell victim to this trap, sacrificing themselves to Persian swords.
However, Tomris Hatun had sworn revenge. Thus, the two armies met in the Oxus region in 529 BC, and the Turks emerged victorious. Although King Cyrus, who had achieved great feats and made a name for himself in history with his conquests and influence over the geography, his life ended at the hands of a woman who held a less powerful position. Whether this is a twist of fate remains unknown, but Tomris Hatun, who killed him, reportedly said, "You never had your fill of bloodshed in your lifetime, now I fill you with blood," and had Cyrus's head dunked into a barrel filled with blood. Another theory suggests that on the battlefield, when Tomris Hatun found Cyrus's body and recognized it, she had his head immersed in a sack filled with blood.
Cyrus's Achievements:
Cyrus, also known as Cyrus the Great, whose name means "Sun-like" in Persian, is associated with the Cyrus Cylinder, considered the world's first human rights declaration. The Cyrus Cylinder is an artifact inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform found in the Temple of Marduk in Babylon in 1879. It speaks of Cyrus's peaceful takeover of Babylon and declares him as the ruler of one-fourth of the earth.
Cyrus holds great significance in Jewish history. After conquering Babylon, King Cyrus allowed the Israelites, who had been in exile for 45 years, to return to their lands. Though not Jewish himself, he is the only foreigner to bear the title of "Savior" for the Jews. Cyrus,
who stood equidistant from all religions, was seen as close to the Babylonian god Marduk. He not only liberated the slaves and built homes for them in the conquered lands but also constructed temples for Marduk.
The Cyrus Cylinder:
The Cyrus Cylinder, a cylindrical artifact inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform, was discovered in 1879 in Babylonian territory, specifically in the Temple of Marduk. It is currently on display at the British Museum. Due to its inscription advocating for the liberation of slaves, it is considered the world's first human rights declaration and is attributed to Cyrus the Great. The cylinder likely served as a political maneuver to gain authority in the newly acquired regions, especially by pleasing Babylonian slaves and possibly influencing them against potential uprisings, thus laying the solid foundations of Persian dominion for many years. The Cyrus Cylinder also contains information on the battles Cyrus participated in and dynastic details.
King Cyrus pioneered the creation of trade routes nationwide and is considered the initiator of the Age of Empires. While Cyrus's martial prowess and astute governance buried the empires of Lydia and Media in history, he reigned over the regions of Iran and Babylon. Cyrus's headless body was brought to the imperial palace in Pasargadae, the first capital of the Achaemenid dynasty, and buried.
Most of the information comes from Herodotus and the Greek soldier-historian Xenophon.
Sources Used: "Great Human History," Wikipedia.
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