Sources

• Herodotus


  sometimes only source but cannot be trusted → said himself he is a storyteller and cares for stories more than history
• Cyrus Cylinder


  bias because he made people write it → bound to be favoured towards him → said how people of Mesopotamia knelt before him and kissed his feet’
• Jewish writers

  Cyrus allowed exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem
• Nabonidus Chronicle


  Babylonian text

  gives account on one way that Cyrus conquered Babylon
• Old Testament

  describes Cyrus as ‘messiah’

  Cyrus described to rebuild temples in Jerusalem
• Egyptian Sources


  bias against Cambyses because they were written by Egyptian priests
• Behistun Inscription

  written by Darius

  Cambyses sent his brother Bardiya to be killed in secret before heading to Egypt

  people of Empire restless and Gaumata (who pretended to be Bardiya) led rebellion and became king after Cambyses died of natural causes

  people who knew his real identity didnt say anything because they didnt want to die

  probably had a lot of propaganda