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Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great
𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁
King of Kings
"Winged Genius" statue at Pasargadae, with braided hair and a Hemhem crown, traditionally identified as Cyrus[1][a]
King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire
Reign550–530 BC
PredecessorEmpire established
SuccessorCambyses II
King of Persia
Reign559–530 BC
PredecessorCambyses I
SuccessorCambyses II
King of Media
Reign549–530 BC
PredecessorAstyages
SuccessorCambyses II
King of Lydia
Reign547–530 BC
PredecessorCroesus
SuccessorCambyses II
King of Babylon
Reign539–530 BC
PredecessorNabonidus
SuccessorCambyses II
Bornc. 600 BC[4]
Anshan, Persis (present-day Fars Province, Iran)
Died4 December 530 BC[5] (aged 70)
Pasargadae, Persis
Burial
Pasargadae
ConsortCassandane
Issue
HouseTeispid
FatherCambyses I
MotherMandane of Media
Standard of Cyrus the Great (Derafsh Shahbaz), founder of the Achaemenid Empire, featuring the Shahbaz (see List of Iranian flags)

Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁, romanized: 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 Kūruš; c. 600 – 530 BC),[b] commonly known as Cyrus the Great,[6] was the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.[7] Hailing from Persis, he brought the Achaemenid dynasty to power by defeating the Median Empire and embracing all of the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East,[7] expanding vastly and eventually conquering most of West Asia and much of Central Asia to create what would soon become the largest polity in human history at the time.[7] The Achaemenid Empire's largest territorial extent was achieved under Darius the Great, whose rule stretched from Southeast Europe in the west to the Indus River valley in the east.

After conquering the Median Empire, Cyrus led the Achaemenids to conquer Lydia and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He also led an expedition into Central Asia, which resulted in major military campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception";[8] Cyrus allegedly died in battle with the Massagetae, a nomadic Eastern Iranian tribal confederation, along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC.[9][c] However, Xenophon of Athens claimed that Cyrus did not die fighting and had instead returned to the city of Pasargadae, which served as the Achaemenid ceremonial capital.[10] He was succeeded by his son Cambyses II, whose campaigns into North Africa led to the conquests of Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule.

To the Greeks, he was known as Cyrus the Elder (Κῦρος ὁ Πρεσβύτερος Kŷros ho Presbýteros). Cyrus was particularly renowned among contemporary scholars because of his habitual policy of respecting peoples' customs and religions in the lands that he conquered.[11] He was influential in developing the system of a central administration at Pasargadae to govern the Achaemenid Empire's satraps, which worked for the profit of both rulers and subjects.[7][12]

Following the Persian conquest of Babylon, Cyrus issued the Edict of Restoration, in which he authorized and encouraged the return of the Jewish people to what had been the Kingdom of Judah, officially ending the Babylonian captivity. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and left a lasting legacy on Judaism due to his role in facilitating the return to Zion, a migratory event in which the Jews returned to the Land of Israel following Cyrus' establishment of Yehud Medinata and subsequently rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. According to Isaiah 45:1,[13] Cyrus was anointed by Yahweh for this task as a biblical messiah; he is the only non-Jewish figure to be revered in this capacity.[14]

In addition to his influence on traditions in both the Eastern and Western worlds, Cyrus is also recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy. The Achaemenid Empire's prestige in the ancient world would eventually extend as far west as Athens, where upper-class Greeks adopted aspects of the culture of the ruling Persian class as their own.[15] As the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Cyrus played a crucial role in defining the national identity of the Iranian nation; the Achaemenid Empire was instrumental in spreading the ideals of Zoroastrianism as far east as China.[16][17][18] He remains a cult figure in Iran, with the Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae serving as a spot of reverence for millions of the country's citizens.[19]

  1. ^ Curzon 2018, p. 75.
  2. ^ Sekunda 2010, p. 268–271.
  3. ^ Stronach 2010, p. 9.
  4. ^ Ilya Gershevitch, ed. (1985). The Cambridge History of Iran: The Median and Achaemenian periods. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-521-20091-2. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b Dandamayev 1993, pp. 516–521.
  6. ^ Xenophon, Anabasis I. IX; see also M. A. Dandamaev "Cyrus II", in Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  7. ^ a b c d Schmitt (1983) Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty)
  8. ^ Cambridge Ancient History IV Chapter 3c. p. 170. The quote is from the Greek historian Herodotus.
  9. ^ Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009). Empires of the Silk Road. Princeton University Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2.
  10. ^ Bassett, Sherylee R. (1999). "The Death of Cyrus the Younger". The Classical Quarterly. 49 (2): 473–483. doi:10.1093/cq/49.2.473. ISSN 0009-8388. JSTOR 639872. PMID 16437854.
  11. ^ Dandamayev Cyrus (iii. Cyrus the Great) Cyrus's religious policies.
  12. ^ The Cambridge Ancient History Vol. IV p. 42. See also: G. Buchaman Gray and D. Litt, The foundation and extension of the Persian empire, Chapter I in The Cambridge Ancient History Vol. IV, 2nd edition, published by The University Press, 1927. p. 15. Excerpt: The administration of the empire through satrap, and much more belonging to the form or spirit of the government, was the work of Cyrus ...
  13. ^ Jona Lendering (2012). "Messiah – Roots of the concept: From Josiah to Cyrus". livius.org. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  14. ^ The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) (24 August 2015). "Cyrus the Messiah". bib-arch.org. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  15. ^ Miller, Margaret Christina (2004). Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BC: A Study in Cultural Receptivity. Cambridge University Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-521-60758-2.
  16. ^ Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh; Stewart, Sarah (2005). Birth of the Persian Empire. I. B. Tauris. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-84511-062-8.[verification needed]
  17. ^ Kuhrt, Amelie (3 December 2007). The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-134-07634-5.
  18. ^ Holliday, Shabnam J. (2011). Defining Iran: Politics of Resistance. Ashgate. pp. 38–40. ISBN 978-1-4094-0524-5.
  19. ^ Llewellyn-Jones 2017, p. 67.


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