Persian kings

• Cyrus' conquests

  Lydia, Medes, Babylon and the massagetae
• Major rivers

  Tigris and Euphrates
• Herotudus


  480-429 Bc
• Capital of Persia


  Anshan
• Capital of Medes


  Ecbatana
• conquered medes


  553 BC
• conquered lydia

  546 BC
• conquered babylon

  546-539 BC
• Hubris


  self-confidence
• Lionised


  exceptional, celebrated
• Self aggrandising

  boastful acting more powerful and important
• HDT 79 = self dependant


  "indeed he was his own messanger"
• HDT 78 = battle intellect


  "he did not for a moment suppose that cyrus after a battle would advance on sardis"
• HDT 80 = leader, tolerant


  "adopt a suggestion of harpagus, one of the medes"
• outcome of conquest of lydia on persians

  gained many riches and allies and cyrus to mercy on croesus
• outcome of conquest of lydia on ionian greeks (lydia)


  they still had a leader croesus but lost loads of riches and army was depleted but stayed allies with persians
• where is Herodotus from

  Halikarnassus
• croesus' allies


  aegen islands, lesbos, chios, samos
• which direction does croesus try and conquer

  east - towards persians (Cyrus)
• how much money did croesus have ?

  870 lbs of gold
• HDT 1.53


  "if croesus attacked the persians, he would destroy a great empire"
• capital of lydia

  Sardis
• HDT 1.115 wise, confident


  "they made me king, because they thought i was best to hold office... he took no notice of me until he was punished
• HDT 1.115 noble


  "if i deserve to suffer for it i am ready
• HDT 1.120 leader


  "did everything real kings do "
• HDT 1.114 ruthless, father like son


  "beat him savagely with a whip"
• HDT 1.120 protected by fate, born leader


  "touched by destiny"
• Ethnography

  writing about a race, ethnically diverse
• fragmentry

  pieces missing
• river flowing into babylon

  euphrates
• HDT 1.178


  babylon lies in a wide plain, a vast city the size of a square with sides nearly fourteen miles long and a circuit of some fifty-six miles, ... it surpasses in splendour any city of the known world
• HDT 1.178


  A turning point in history, persians gained the levant lands as well, cyrus liberated babylon
• gateway into babylon

  Ishtar
• why is cyrus invited into babylon

  nabonidus is a tyrant and not religiously tolerant (marduk)
• new persian capital ?

  Pasargadae
• CC 11 divine mandate to rule


  "he took him by the hand"
• CC 19 good leader, religiously tolerant


  "they joyfully celebrated him and honoured his name"
• Isiah divine mandate to rule


  "cyrus whom he has taken by the hand"
• ezra


  "let the cost be paid from the house of the king"
• why did cyrus attack babylon 1

  massive trade hub