The Founder of Achaemenid Persia

Born about 600 BCE in what is now southwestern Iran, Cyrus “the Great” is considered the founder of the Persian Achaemenid empire. He is remembered as “the Great” to distinguish him from his grandfather, Cyrus I, and his descendant Cyrus “the Younger” killed in battle in 401 BCE. “Cyrus” is the Latinized form of the Greek Kyros, derived from Old Persian Kurush. Much of what we know about Cyrus comes from the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived c. 484 - 425 BCE.

The book has seven chapters:

1. Introduction

2. Cyrus: A Near Eastern King

3. Cyrus’ Birth Stories

4. Cyrus and the Medes

5. Cyrus as Cosmic Warrior

6. Cyrus: An Exemplary Death

7. Conclusion

Cyrus is surrounded by so much myth and legend that it is impossible to construct an historically accurate biography of the man. Just three dates in his life are known with some degree of certainty: his defeat of the Median king Astyages in 550 BCE, his capture of Babylon in 539, and his death in battle against the Massagetae (4 December 530). What this book attempts instead is a “biography of near Eastern kingship.”

In Hebrew scripture, Cyrus is mentioned in Isaiah (45:1),

“Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and that the gates may not be shut,”

and in the opening chapter of the book of Ezra (1:2-4):

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

Cyrus is admired in Jewish tradition because he allowed the Jews who were exiled to Babylon after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE to return to Jerusalem.

An important source discussed in great detail in this book is the Cyrus Cylinder (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941) a damaged ceramic artifact inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform, discovered in the ruins of Babylon in 1879 and preserved in the British Museum. It has been hailed as “the first charter of human rights” (although it manifestly is not). A complete translation of the text is provided in an Appendix.

Written in a dense, heavily footnoted academic style, Cyrus the Great is a difficult book that assumes the reader has considerable familiarity with Mesopotamian history. I found that I had to make frequent references to Wikipedia articles to follow the text. The author, Lynette Mitchell is Professor of Greek History and Politics at the University of Exeter, UK.

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, , The Emperor in the Byzantine World, The Politics of Roman Memory: From the Fall of the Western Empire to the Age of Justinian, Theodosius and the Limits of Empire, Byzantium Triumphant: The Military History of the Byzantines, 959–1025, Rome Resurgent: War and Empire in the Age of Justinian, Bohemond of Taranto, The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada, Ancient Rome: Infographics, Byzantium and the Crusades, A Short History of the Byzantine Empire, Theoderic the Great, The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Battle for the Island Kingdom, Vandal Heaven, The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World, Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen, Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint, Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, Polis: A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State, At the Gates of Rome: The Battle for a Dying Empire, Roman Emperors in Context, and After 1177 B.C.

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Note: Cyrus the Great is also available in hard cover & e-editions.

www.nymas.org