Persia

• What is the name of Astyages' daughter?

  Mandane
• What happens in Astyages' first dream about his daughter?


  Mandane floods the kingdom with urine
• What action does Astyages do to protect himself?

  He married of his daughter to a non-powerful man
• What happens in the second dream Astyages has about his daughter?


  A vine seemed to grow from his daughter's genitals and covered the whole of Asia
• How is his second dream interpreted by the Magi?

  Astyages' grandson would grow up to take over the city instead of destroying it
• What did Asyages' ask Harpagus to do?

  Take the child and kill him
• What three reasons does Harpagus give for not wanting to kill the baby?


  - Baby is related to him

  - Asyages is old and has no male offspring

  - Be in danger if Mandane becomes queen
• Who was Mithradates?


  Cowherd
• What did Harpagus ask Mithradates to do?

  Kill the baby
• How did Mithradates find out the true identity of the child?

  a slave told him
• What plan did his wife come up with to save baby Cyrus?

  Swap her stillborn child with Cyrus
• What did Cyrus do to the son of Artembares?

  Flogged the son because he did his job wrong in the game
• Why was Artembares so angry about this and who did he report this to?

  He is in a high society and reported to Astyages
• According to Herodotus, how did Astyages realise Cyrus was his grandson?

  Facial features resembled his own and his answers were free and he agreed
• How did Astyages punish Harpagus for not killing Cyrus as he had commanded him to?

  Cutting Harpagus' sons throat, tore him limb from limb and roasted some of the flesh and boiled the other bits and served it for dinner to Harpagus.
• Why do the Magi not want Cyrus to be king?

  Cyrus was a persian
• What did Astyages do with Cyrus?


  Sent Cyrus to Persia to his parents
• What changes did his parents make to his story? Why?

  They said he was raised by a female dog because it would be less impressive to be raised by a cowherd.
• Why did Harpagus want revenge on Astyages?

  He killed his son and made him eat him
• Does Cyrus have a reason to want revenge on Astayages?

  Yes because Astyages wanted Cyrus killed because he was worried he would become a better king than him
• How had Harpagus already made preparations for Cyrus to start a revolt?

  He had been planning until the time was right. He waited until Cyrus was capable of revenge.
• How did Cyrus trick the Persians in to thinking he was in command of the Persian army?


  By writing on a roll of paper claiming that Astyages had appointed him to command the Persian army
• Which tribe seems to have been the most important? Why were they a good tribe for Cyrus to target?

  Pasargadae tribe because the Acnaemeneid clan belongs to them which all Persian kings come from.
• What did they rely on the other tribes for?

  Farm crops and animals
• Who turned on Astyages and handed him over to Cyrus?

  the army
• Why was Astyages a cruel king?


  - wanted to kill Cyrus

  - killed Harpagus' son as a punishment and made Harpagus eat him
• Why does Herodotus say it was a mistake for Astyages to appoint Harpagus as his general?


  Harpagus would have wanted revenge
• How does Justin imply that Astyages and Cyrus are related?

  Cyrus is Astyages' grandson
• What did Cyrus do that showed he treated Astyages well?

  Gave Astyages governorship of Hyrcania
• According to Ctesiad how did Astyages die?

  Hunger and thirst in the desert
• What element of this account do you find rather unbelievable?


  The fact that Lions guarded Astyages' body
• According to Xenophon who was the last Median king?


  Cyaxares
• How was he related to Cyrus?

  He was Cyrus' uncle
• How did Cyrus end up related to the last king of Media?

  He ended up as his son in law
• what impression is cyrus trying to give with his tomb?

  - expensive

  - multicultural king who embraced other cultures
• Who were the different people he conquered?


  - Medes (Ecbatana)

  - Lydians (Sardis)

  - Babylonians (Babylon)
• Which kings did he conquer?


  - Astyages

  - Croesus

  - Nabonidus
• Who were his biological parents?

  Mandana and Cambyses
• Who were his adopted parents?

  Cowherd and his wife
• How did Cyrus treat Croesus?


  - He executed his son which prompted his wife's suicide

  - Let him stay as an advisor and to live