Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World
Reza Zarghamee
Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands
between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great,
founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century BCE. By conquest or
gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the
Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of
people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and
stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal
ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through
provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries,
leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The
Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several
generations, wrote: "Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before
or since." The vision of the Biblical prophet known as Second Isaiah
anticipates Cyrus' repatriation of Jews living in exile in Babylon with
these words of the Lord: "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that
I please."
Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus
remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the
written word and the most complete accounts of his life were composed by
Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms--among
them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands,
and the always tricky stuff of legend.
between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great,
founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century BCE. By conquest or
gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the
Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of
people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and
stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal
ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through
provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries,
leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The
Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several
generations, wrote: "Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before
or since." The vision of the Biblical prophet known as Second Isaiah
anticipates Cyrus' repatriation of Jews living in exile in Babylon with
these words of the Lord: "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that
I please."
Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus
remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the
written word and the most complete accounts of his life were composed by
Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms--among
them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands,
and the always tricky stuff of legend.
カテゴリー:
年:
2014
出版社:
Mage Publishers
言語:
english
ページ:
735
ISBN 10:
1933823380
ISBN 13:
9781933823386
ファイル:
EPUB, 8.19 MB
IPFS:
,
english, 2014
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