ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – On 4th December, 530 BC – Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire, was killed; the date recorded in cuneiform tablets. The details of Cyruss death vary by account. According to ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, Cyrus met his fate in a fierce battle with the Massagetae, a tribe related to the Scythians from the southern deserts of Khwarezm and Kyzyl Kum in modern-day Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The attack was ordered by Croesus, king of Lydia, a kingdom of Asia Minor, to attack Cyrus and his army, following his campaign to protect their borders from the incursions of the Massagetae. Cyrus was said to have been killed in battle and Tomyris, Queen of the Massagetae, ordered the body of Cyrus brought to her, then decapitated him and dipped his head in a vessel of blood in a symbolic gesture of revenge. However, some scholars question this version, mostly because Herodotus admits this event was one of many versions of Cyruss death that he heard from a supposedly reliable source who told him no one was there to see the aftermath. Greek historian Ctesias wrote that Cyrus met his death while putting down resistance from the Derbices infantry, aided by other Scythian archers and cavalry, plus Indians and their elephants. According to him, this event took place northeast of the headwaters of the Syr Darya. An alternative account from Greek historian Xenophon contradicts the others, claiming that Cyrus died peaceably at his capital. The final version of Cyruss death comes from Babylonian writer Berossus, who only reported that Cyrus met his death while warring against the Dahae archers, a confederation of Iranian tribes, northwest of the headwaters of the Syr Darya. Cyrus the Greats remains were interred in his capital city of Pasargadae, where today a limestone tomb (built around 540–530 BC) still exists which many believe to be his. Picture: ‘The Beheading of Cyrus III’ by Jean-Simon Berthélemy, based on Herodotus’ account of his death.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:01:32 +0000
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