Cyrus as a whole

• Cyrus

  Son of Cambyses, subdued Astyages and held him in subjection
• Croesus


  King of Lydia, brother-in-law of Astyages, king of Media
• Conquest of Lydia

  547 - 542
• Heavy losses on both sides at the Battle of Pteria
• Mithradates


  Name of the herdsman
• Sako


  Name of the herdsman's wife
• 1. year campaign to push into Asia
• Megi


  Interpreted dreams
• Cyrus the Great was born in Persia, which is modern day Iran, one of the oldest continuous cultures
• Cyrus overcame King Astyages and extended the empire through Persia and Media
• Babylon was a very ancient city, has a great influence on cultures
• Babylon is in a place called Mesopotamia. Means the area between two rivers
• Babylon is modern day Iraq
• Lydia is where modern day Turkey is
• Cyrus was in charge of all these modern-day countries. The place where Cyrus was controlling was the most civilised and powerful
• The Greeks couldn't be taken over by the Persians
• Leonidas


  King of Sparta and the greatest fighter of Sparta, he led 300 Spartans and resisted the Persian Empire
• Death of Xerxes


  465
• The Assyrians were the most powerful force before the Persians
• Assyrian empire


  800 - 615 BC
• Cyaxares, King of Medes, attacks Assyria and storms Nineveh

  615 BC
• Astyages becomes King of Media

  585 BC
• Medes go to war with Lydians, solar eclipse persuades both sides to agree to a peace treaty

  585
• Cyrus comes to throne of Anshan / Persia

  559
• Astyages alarmed by the growing power of his grandson Cyrus, invades Persia but is defeated, having been betrayed by his close kings man Harpagus


  553
• Cyrus takes over Ecbatana which becomes his summer capital


  550
• When Croesus was captured, he was spared
• Cyrus dies and buried at Pasargadae

  529
• The Lydians initially rebelled, but the tradition holds that the unrest was short-lived and that Cyrus ordered the inhabitants of Sardis to be treated well except for the leaders of rebellion
• Cyrus had previously asked the Ionians under Croesus' yoke to join the Persian Campaign, The Ionians refused and thus the new regime treated them harshly. A rebellion followed. The Medes Mazares and Harpagus were left to subdue the Greeks as Cyrus returned to the heartland of his empire
• Herodotus states that Cyrus took Babylon using novel means. In Herodotus' version of events, the Persians defeated the Babylonians in battle near Babylon and besieging them. Cyrus drained the River Euphrates so that the Persians army could infiltrate the city
• The cowherds wife is called Spako, which means dog, wanted to keep the baby bc her baby was born as a stillborn, already dead in the womb
• Cyrus persuaded the Persians to revolt by following Cyrus. Giving them a hard task one day and the next day giving them a big feast. Tells them if they go to war then they can have a feast everyday. He was inspirational leader of Persia
• Astyages appointed Harpagus to lead the Medes army. Bad idea bc Harpagus wanted revenge
• When the Medes army scattered, he sent a threatening message to Cyrus " That even so he should not go unpunished " impaled the Magians
• Harpagus got the message to Cyrus by slitting open a Hare and putting the message inside the hare's stomach. He then sent the servant to go to Persia with a net and was told to present the hare to Cyrus
• Cyrus's attitude towards conquered peoples and his liberation of the Jews
• Cyrus preferred to set up his own governors in realms he had conquered rather than vassal kings ( as Assyrians had done in outlying parts of their empire )
• These governors need not be Persians - in Sardis Cyrus put Pactyes the Lydian in charge of the treasury ( which resulted in a revolt ), and Gubaru the Babylonians was 1st governor of Babylon
• Many educated Jews had been brought back from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586; Cyrus gave them permission to return home and in 538 he sent Sheshbazzar as governor to Jerusalem with sacred utensils and treasure taken by Nebuchadnezzar 50 years before, with instructions to rebuild the temple