How Cyrus the Great turned ancient Persia into a superpower
King Cyrus the Great of Persia was a tolerant and benevolent ruler who founded one of the largest empires in the history of the world.
Through far-reaching military conquests and benevolent rule, Cyrus the Great transformed a small group of semi-nomadic tribes into the powerful Persian Empire , the ancient world's first superpower, in less than 15 years.
The Rise of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great (second from left) rode a horse-drawn chariot and entered the city of Ecbatana
The Persian Empire was the name of a series of dynasties centered on modern Iran. Spanning several centuries - from the sixth century BC to the twentieth century AD. The first Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 BC and became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from the Balkan Peninsula in western Europe to the Indus River Valley in the east. This Iron Age dynasty, sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, was a global center of culture, religion, science, art, and technology for more than 200 years before falling to the invading armies of Alexander the Great.
Cyrus the Great
The Persian Empire began as a collection of semi-nomadic tribes raising sheep, goats, and cattle on the Iranian plateau.
Born around 600 BC, the founder of the first Persian Empire (also known as the Achaemenid Empire) belonged to the semi-nomadic Pasargadae tribe, which raised sheep, goats and cattle in what is now southwestern Iran. Little is known about the youth or lineage of Cyrus the Great (also known as Cyrus II), except that he became a member of the Achaemenid royal family through birth or marriage.
In 558 BC, Cyrus came to the throne as a vassal king of the Median empire (which controlled much of present-day Iran). Five years after he ascended the throne, he united the chiefs of other Persian tribes and led an attack on the Median empire. Rebellion of King Astyages. With the help of the defecting Mede generals, Cyrus defeated Astyages' army at the Battle of Pasargadae and captured the capital of Ecbatana in 550 BC.
Cyrus conquered Lydia and expanded his empire
The rise of Cyrus troubled King Croesus of Lydia, who occupied the western half of present-day Turkey . As he considered attacking the rising power of what was now neighboring Persia, Croesus sent a messenger to consult with the Greek oracle at Delphi. "If Croesus makes war, he will destroy a great empire," the mediums of the gods are said to have reported.
Inspired by the divine message, Croesus led a large army across the Halys River and attacked the Persians in 547 BC. After an indecisive battle, Cyrus surprisingly followed the retreating Lydian army through the winter cold to the capital Sardis.
The defecting Mede general Harpagus, outnumbered by the Persian army, placed his cavalry on the army's baggage camels and placed them at the front of the battle line. The stench of the camels so repelled the charging Lydian horses that they jumped from the battlefield. Retreating within the walls of Sardis, the Lydians eventually surrendered after the Persian siege.
Like the Medes, Cyrus adopted a conciliatory attitude towards the Lydians. He deposited his treasury in Sardis and brought Croesus to his court. He allowed local culture, religion, and laws to be maintained, which helped him gain the loyalty of his new subjects. "Cyrus was able to quickly assimilate or take over the existing administrative structures of the places he conquered, often leaving behind local elites," says John W., professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. said John W. I. Lee.
However, the Persian king's clemency was hardly absolute.When the nobles in charge of the Lydian treasury revolted, Cyrus executed the rebels and enslaved their followers. After conquering Lydia, the general Harpagus brutally laid siege to the Greek settlements in Ionia, forcing many to migrate to Italy and abandon entire cities.
"There are many ancient and modern myths about Cyrus as a benevolent ruler," Lee said. "While Cyrus certainly tolerated local customs and religion, and although he collaborated with local elites, contemporary documents such as cuneiform show that the Persian Empire, like all empires, was focused on extracting wealth and labor from the people it conquered - including through slavery.
Persian forces led to the fall of Babylon
Cyrus the Great besieged Babylon
As the Persian Empire grew, its military power was strengthened. Cyrus developed an elite legion of cavalry. , they excelled at archery on horseback and deployed bladed chariots. "His troops seemed highly motivated and well-trained, and Cyrus himself seemed to be an inspiring leader," Lee said. He seemed able to move his troops faster than his enemies expected, even in winter.
After his army defeated the territories east of Persia, Cyrus set his sights on conquering the last remaining major power in western Asia - the Neo-Babylonian Empire .
In 539 BC, the Persian army invaded this wealthy and fertile empire, defeated the Babylonian army, and captured Opis, a strategic city on the Tigris River. A week later, the Persian army reached the walls of Babylon, the largest city in the ancient world, and surrendered without a fight.
According to a barrel-shaped clay cylinder with a Babylonian cuneiform inscription unearthed in 1879, the Persian king entered Babylon triumphantly "in peace, joy, and joy."
Cyrus Cylinder: Clay cylinder; Babylonian account of Cyrus's conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C., his restoration of various statues in temples that had been demolished by the previous king of Babylon, Nabonidus, and his own work in Babylon. The cylinder is a typical form of late Babylonian royal inscriptions, and the text shows that the cylinder was written to be buried in the foundations of the Babylonian walls. It was deposited there after Cyrus captured the city in 539 BC, and was presumably written on his orders.
text is incomplete. It was written in the Babylonian script and language and records that Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon (555-539 BC), distorted the worship of the Babylonian gods, including the Babylonian city god Marduk, and freed them Labor was imposed on the population, and they complained to the gods. The gods responded by abandoning Babylon, but Marduk searched for a champion to restore the old ways. He chose Cyrus, king of Anshan (Persia), and declared him king of the world. First, Cyrus extended his royal authority over the tribes of Iran (known as Gutian and Umanmanda), ruling over them justly. Marduk then ordered Cyrus to march towards Babylon, which he entered without a fight. Nabonidus fell into his hands, and the people of Babylon joyfully accepted the throne of Cyrus.
From this point on, the document was written as if Cyrus himself was speaking: "I, Cyrus, King of the World..." He claimed to be an admirer of Marduk, fighting for peace in Babylon , abolished the labor service of the people of Babylon. The peoples of neighboring countries paid tribute to Babylon, and Cyrus claimed to have restored their temples and religious worship, and returned to them their previously expelled gods and people.
The text ends with a note of additional food offerings in the Babylonian temples and an account of the rebuilding of the Babylonian wall Imgur-Enlil, during which the discovery of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC ) early architectural inscriptions of Ashurbanipal.
Shortly after the fall of Babylon, Cyrus liberated the Babylonian Jews who had been forcibly imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar II after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple 50 years earlier.Released from the Babylonian exile, many returned to their spiritual home in Jerusalem. The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament praises Cyrus as being "anointed" by God to "conquer nations before him and strip kings of their armor."
With the conquests of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire spread from the Aegean Sea in the west to the Indus River in the east. Cyrus created one of the largest empires the ancient world had ever seen, and was able to boast (according to the Cyrus Cylinder): "I am Cyrus, King of the Universe .
Cyrus died, but the Persian Empire Continue to exist
Little is known about Cyrus's death, which occurred around 529 BC. According to some accounts, he died of wounds sustained on the battlefield during a military campaign on the eastern frontier of the empire. His body was returned to Pasargadae and put there. in a golden sarcophagus, and rested in a vast stone tomb, facing the rising sun
Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses II, who conquered another part of Egypt. An ancient civilization continued to expand the empire's borders. The Persian Empire remained prosperous and stable for two centuries until it fell to the armies of Alexander the Great in 330 BC.
