The
Ancient Persian (or Achaemenid) Empire dominated the Middle East from roughly
550 to 330 BC. Compared to its predecessors in the region, it lasted a long
time and came to be seen as a model for empire-building, even by its eventual
destroyer Alexander the Great. It was founded by another “The Great,” Cyrus the
Great. Cyrus is one of the more highly regarded ancient rulers. Many respect
him for his, by the standards of the time, generosity and mercy towards
conquered peoples. He rarely massacred entire populations and did not often resort
to mass enslavement either. He let local rulers stay on as part of his
administration, creating a soft rule over his holdings. Cyrus is also a legend
among many in Iran, as he was the one who catapulted their Persian ancestors to
the status of a great civilization. Judaism and Christianity alike also have a
positive image of him as he allowed the captive Hebrews to return to the Levant
and rebuild their cities (though as it turns out there is a caveat on this
matter).
Despite his importance to world history, we know very little about Cyrus. What has been passed down is largely suspect. Little contemporary records exist from the time of his life and most of these, such as the Nabonidus Verse Account and Cyrus Cylinder, are obvious pieces of propaganda from a time when people did not have a widely circulated press, much less the internet, to seek out the truth. Most ancient sources are actually Greek histories. These were written decades to hundreds of years after the events of Cyrus’ life. They were based on Persian historical legends and orally transmitted hearsay, and then filtered through Greek biases. The most popular Greek sources is Xenophon’s account of his time as a Greek mercenary in a Persian civil war. Xenophon related many tales he heard of Cyrus the Elder. Ironically it’s riddled with literary liberties and inaccuracies as well as the promotion of the author’s Greek beliefs. Concerning the Cyrus the Great’s characteristics, Xenophon falsely depicts him embracing and spouting Socratic philosophy while also worshipping the Greek pantheon of gods and goddesses. The most respected source is Herodotus’ Histories. The father of historians, Herodotus carefully weighted various accounts and tried to piece together the most likely narrative.
