Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World

Reza Zarghamee

Description

Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century B.C. By conquest or gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries, leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several generations, wrote: “Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before or since.” The biblical prophet Second Isaiah anticipated Cyrus’ repatriation of the Jews living in exile in Babylon by having the Lord say, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please.”   Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the written word and kept no annals. The most complete accounts of his life were composed by Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms – among them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands, and the always tricky stuff of legend.   Given these challenges, Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World is a remarkable feat of portraiture. In his vast sweep, Reza S. Zarghamee draws on sources of every kind, painstakingly assembling detail, and always weighing evidence carefully where contradictions arise. He describes the background of the Persian people, the turbulence of the times, and the roots of Cyrus’ policies. His account of the imperial era itself delves into religion, military methods, commerce, court life, and much else besides. The result is a living, breathing Cyrus standing atop a distant world that played a key role in shaping our own.

Sujets

• Ancient World
• HISTORY
• Histoire
• Persia
• Irán
• Ancient warfare
• Cyrus the Great
• History of the Middle East
• Achaemenid Empire
• General officer
• Ancient history
• Middle East
• General
• Ancient
• Iran

Informations

• Publié par: Mage Publishers Inc.
• Date de parution: 25 septembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781933823799
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2013 Reza arghamee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or retransmitted in any manner whatsoever, except in the form of a review, without the written permission of the publisher.
Mage Publishers Inc
Washington DC
Mage.com
Image credits on pages 712–13
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zarghamee, Reza, 1978-
Discovering Cyrus : the Persian conqueror astride the ancient world / by Reza Zarghamee. -- First hardcover edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-933823-38-6 (hardcover : alkaline paper)
1. Cyrus, King of Persia, -529 or 530 B.C. 2. Achaemenid dynasty, 559-330 B.C. 3. Iran--Kings and rulers--Biography. 4. Iran--History--To 640. I. Title.
DS282.Z27 2014
935’.05092--dc23
2013037216
First eBook edition
ISBN 13: 978-1-933823-71-3
ISBN 10: 1-933823-71-2
Visit Mage online: www.mage.com
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]



To my family and friends



Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
A Note on the Major Sources
A Note on the Rendering of Names
Ancient Names
Modern Iranian Toponyms
Cast of Characters
Achaemenid Family Tree
Deiocid Family Tree; The House of Cyrus
Map
Prelude
ONE
A Nascent People: The Arrival of the Medes and Persians in Western Iran
The Ravages of Assyria
Settlement in Parsa
TWO
The March of Empires: Assyrians, Scythians, and Medes
Early Movements toward Median Unification
The Nomadic Onslaught
Fall of the Assyrian Empire
The Historical Significance of the Assyrian Empire
Further Median Conquests in the Caucasus and Asia Minor
THREE
A Life Shrouded in Myth: Cyrus’ Origins and Early Years
The Founder Legends
Heir to Two Thrones
Portents of Glory
Early Military and Political Experience
Persia and Media in the Early Sixth Century bce
FOUR
Overthrow of the Medes: Symbols of Power
Causes of War
Disaffection of the Median Nobility
Royal Aspirations at Ecbatana and Return to Persia
The New King of Persia
The Onset of Rebellion
The Defeat of Astyages
The Capture of Ecbatana and the Birth of the Achaemenid Empire
FIVE
Subjugation of Lydia and Ionia
Military Forays into the West
Hostile Relations with Persia’s Western Neighbors
Defeat of Croesus and the Fall of Sardis
The Lydian Revolt and the Conquest of Ionia
Additional Conquests in Asia Minor
SIX
The Sun and the Sky: Iranian Religion in the Age of Cyrus
Prophet Zoroaster and His Message
The Return of the Old Indo-Iranian Gods
Cyrus the Zoroastrian?
Zoroastrianism among the Early Persian Laity
The Lord of Wide Pastures
Mithra the Principal Deity of the Medes
Foreign Influences on the Median Cult of Mithra
The Religious Aspects of the Persian Rebellion and Its Consequences in Iran
Cyrus and the Magi
SEVEN
In the Paths of Heroes: The Conquest of Eastern Iran
Chronology of Conquests and the Political Landscape of Pre-Achaemenid Eastern Iran and Central Asia
A Search for Heritage?
From Persia to Bactria
Conquests in Transoxiana
The Approaches to India
EIGHT
The Fall of a Civilization: The Persian Conquest of Babylonia
A Land in Turmoil
Traitor Gobryas
Earlier Conflicts Between the Persian and Babylonian Empires
Persian and Babylonian Propaganda
The Persian Advance and the Captivity of the Gods
A Glorious Conquest
NINE
The Lord’s Anointed: Cyrus and Israel
“He Is My Shepherd”
Was the Persians’ Treatment of the Jews “Special”?
Was There Iranian Religious Influence upon Judaism?
Specific Instances of Possible Iranian Influence
TEN
One King of Many, One Lord of Many: The Royal Ideology and Administration of the Persian Empire
From Tribal Leader to Great King
The Diverse Origins and Mystical Aspects of Persian Kingship
The King as Terrible, Merciful, and Giving
Imperial Administration and High-Level Bureaucracy
Monumental Inscriptions and Imperial Chancellery
The Quality of Persian Rule
ELEVEN
The Persian Oecumene in Reality and Art
Iranian Diaspora and Cultural Syncretism
Seats of Power: Ecbatana, Babylon, Susa, Pasargadae
TWELVE
With Horse and Bow: The Ancient Persian Army
The Persian Standing Army
Persian Infantry
The Ten Thousand Immortals
Persian Cavalry
Persian Chariots
Training, Auxiliaries, and Organization
Numbers and Battle Tactics
The Death Toll in Ancient Battles
Siege Warfare and Engineering Feats
The King at War, Cyrus as a Commander
THIRTEEN
Cyrus the Father: The Glory Days of Cyrus, King of Persia
Cyrus and the Persian Nobility
The House of Cyrus
Plans to Invade Egypt
FOURTEEN
The Way of the Warrior: Cyrus’ Death in Central Asia
The Nomads of the Caspian Steppe
Death on the Northeastern Frontier
Burial in Pasargadae
FIFTEEN
The Empire after Cyrus
Epilogue
Cyrus’ Legacy
Appendix I
Cyrus, Darius, and the Early History of the Achaemenid Dynasty
The Inscriptions at Pasargadae and the Invention of the Old Persian Script
The Absence of Achaemenes in Cyrus’ Babylonian Inscriptions
Darius’ Need for Legitimacy
The Sharing of Power Between the Ancestors of Cyrus and Darius
Chronological Considerations
Appendix II
Titles and Name of Cyrus
The Title “King of Anshan”
The Names “Cyrus,” “Cambyses,” and “Teispes”
Appendix III
Additional Thoughts on the Median Worship of Mithra
The Evidence for the Median Worship of Mithra
The Form Mithra’s name
The Legend of Deioces
Mithra and Nisaya
Mithra the Baga Par Excellence
The Frontiers of the Iranian World in the Mihr Yasht
Evidence for the Syncretic Identification of the Median Mithra with Shamash
A Babylonian-Influenced Median Mithraic Cult of the Planets
Evidence for the Syncretic Identification of the Median Mithra with Nergal
Median Exposure to the Cult of Nergal
Nergal’s Assimilation with Mithra
Nergal’s Animal Avatars and Attributes
The Cult Title Khshathrapati
The Alleged Iranian Practice of Human Sacrifice
The Desertion of Median Settlements
Mithra’s Waning Fortunes under Darius and Xerxes
Gaumata’s Veneration of Mithra
The Identification of Gaumata with Azhi Dahaka
The Purge of the Magi
Mithra in the Persepolis Archives
Achaemenid Military Processions
Xerxes’ Persecution of the Daivas
Mithra’s Revival under Xerxes’ Successors
The Religious Climate Under Artaxerxes I and Darius II
The Religious Proclamations of Artaxerxes II
The Proliferation of Temples Named After Mithra
Artaxerxes III
The Evidence of the Shahnameh
Conclusion
Appendix IV
Cyrus and the Cult of the Goddess Anahita
Appendix V
Ugbaru, Oebaras, Gobryas, and the Land of Gutium
The Province of Gutium in the Babylonian Chronicle and Inscriptions of Cyrus
The Name “Ugbaru” as a Rendering of Oebaras, not Gobryas
Gobryas’ Involvement in the Persian Conquest of Babylonia
The Location of Gobryas’ Province
Conclusion
Appendix VI
The Babylonian Chronicle
The Chronicle Inscription
Appendix VII
The Cyrus Cylinder
The Historical Significance of the Cyrus Cylinder
The Inscription on the Cylinder
Appendix VIII
The Verse Account of Nabonidus
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Column 4
Column 5
Column 6
Appendix IX
The Dynastic Prophecy
Appendix X
Second Isaiah and the Cyrus Cylinder
Appendix XI
Second Isaiah, Cyrus, and Yahweh the Creator
Appendix XII
Cyrus and the Book of Daniel
Appendix XIII
The Satrapies
Appendix XIV
Paradises
Appendix XV
Herodotus’ Roster of the Achaemenid Army
Appendix XVI
The Saka Tigrakhauda
The Tribes Comprising the Saka Tigrakhauda
The Origins of the Epithet “Tigrakhauda”
The Saka Tigrakhauda as the Great Turanian Enemy of the Western Iranians
Customs of the Saka Tigrakhauda
Religious Beliefs
Did the Saka Tigrakhauda Practice Matriarchy?
Ethnography of the Saka Tigrakhauda
Appendix XVII
Saka Epic Traditions
Appendix XVIII
The Cyrus Legends and the Iranian Epics
The Legends of Cyrus and Sargon as an Example
Cyrus and Thraetona
Cyrus and Kavi Husravah
Cyrus and Kavi Vishtaspa
The Cyrus Legends and the Development of the Epics
The Cyrus Legends as a Window into the Conqueror’s Personality
The Influence of the Magi in Memorializing Persian History
Conclusion
Appendix XIX
Cyrus and Dhu’l-Qarnain
Appendix XX
The Achaemenid King as Universal Savior
The “Royal Hero” Redefined
The Book of Daniel as a Reflection of Achaemenid Soteriological Propaganda
Eschatological Propaganda within the Long View of Iranian History
Endnotes
Bibliography
Textual Sources
Internet Sources
Image Sources and Credits
About the Author
Index




ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T his book does not endeavor to be a dry, clinical analysis of historical information. Rather, the purpose is to bring Cyrus the Great, one of antiquity’s most important figures, and his world to life. One might say that the effort is impossible given the meager and controversial nature of the sources, but in light of what Cyrus achieved, it is both worthwhile and timely.
What this book aims to do is to strike a balance between the traditional, narra