CYRUS the GREAT

ANCIENT PERSIA’S MOST POWERFUL RULER

REIGN: circa 559–529 BCE

FATHER: Cambyses I / MOTHER: Mandane of Media SUCCESSOR: Cambyses II

WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT CYRUS?

Cyrus introduced a new idea to the world: that people didn’t have to give up their own culture or beliefs in order to be part of a bigger empire. They could, instead, live harmoniously together under a single ruler. This was the first time in history that had ever happened.

BECOMING GREAT

There’s a legend that Cyrus’s grandfather believed he would be dethroned by his grandson, so he wanted to have him killed when he was a baby (see here). But Cyrus grew up to be a great military leader, raising armies and conquering kingdoms. If you look at today’s map, his kingdom would take up all of the Middle East and parts of what’s now Afghanistan. It was the custom that the conquering army took the spoils of those they defeated, such as jewelry, horses, statues, and, of course, land. The leaders of the losing kingdom were usually executed and the people were forced to adopt the religion of the conqueror.

But Cyrus did things differently. After he conquered a kingdom, he let the leader he’d defeated live and then gave him a job, such as governor or advisor. Cyrus directed his armies to give back the spoils that they’d taken. He let the conquered people continue to worship their own gods at their own temples. Cyrus even embraced parts of the cultures he ruled over. It’s said he started wearing clothes like the people in some of his new kingdoms (in earlier days, they would have had to start dressing like him).

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

Think about the huge distances from one end of Cyrus’s empire and the other. Even today, it would take the better part of a day to cross it in a jet plane. In Cyrus’s day, it would take months. If there was an important message or news that had to get out to all of the empire, there wasn’t a good way to make it happen. So Cyrus started connecting different roads in the empire into one called the Great Royal Road. It was about 1,500 miles long and wasn’t completed until after Cyrus’s death—in the time of a later Persian emperor, Darius the Great. During his rule, though, Cyrus developed what’s considered to be the world’s first postal system. Government messages would be sent out by horse riders and wagons. At post houses positioned along the route, riders waited with fresh horses. They would take the message to the next post house. There were around eighty post houses along the road. The horsemen were said to be very fast, and, like today’s postal service, they delivered the mail no matter the weather.

Cyrus’s biggest conquest was Babylon, which had until then been the world’s most powerful kingdom. The Babylonians had conquered the Jews and were holding them captive. Once Cyrus took charge of Babylon, though, he let the Jews go free so they could return to their homeland. This story was so important to the Jewish people that it even appears in the Old Testament of the Bible.

THE CYRUS CYLINDER

In 1879, while British archeologists were uncovering the ruins of Babylon, they found a small baked clay object that was less than a foot long. It had tiny cuneiform writing all over it.

When they began to translate the message, they found that it was a declaration from Cyrus, who had conquered the city. It became known as the Cyrus Cylinder.

In the message, Cyrus declared that he was now king, but having conquered this kingdom, he wanted peace. He said that the people of the kingdom were free to choose their own religion and didn’t have to worship his gods. His government wouldn’t look down on the Babylonians or insult them for their beliefs. He also said that he had let captive people go back to their own homelands and restore their temples there. He returned the spoils of war that were taken from the people by his army. He promised his government wouldn’t take land without compensating the owner. He wouldn’t allow any oppression to take place on his watch. If his administrators did oppress people, they would lose their jobs. Finally, he stated there would be no unpaid labor in his kingdom.

Some have called the Cyrus Cylinder the first declaration of human rights. It symbolizes tolerance, diversity, and freedom of religion. Today, the cylinder is on display at the British Museum in London, but there’s also a replica of it at the United Nations in New York City.

Not everyone agrees about the significance of the Cyrus Cylinder. Some say its historical significance has been exaggerated. Others think the cylinder was just propaganda used during Cyrus’s reign. They claim that Cyrus actually was just as bad as other conquerors. Long after he was gone, though, we know from written accounts in several cultures that even his enemies remembered Cyrus as a fair and merciful leader.

RAISED BY WOLVES?

A powerful leader inspires awe. Can this person really be human? Or is he or she superhuman? Part god? In many ancient legends, great leaders have amazing origin stories, just as you’d find in a modern-day comic book or movie. Cyrus has a story like that, too.

The story goes that Cyrus’s grandfather, who was a king, had a series of disturbing dreams. When he asked the magi (the wise men at his court) what the dreams could mean, they said that his daughter would have a son who would one day overthrow him.

After Cyrus was born, his grandfather called for a nobleman and ordered him to kill the baby. But, of course, the man couldn’t do it. Some stories say that baby Cyrus was raised by someone else. One version says he was raised by a pack of dogs (think Mowgli in The Jungle Book or Romulus and Remus, the twins who were cofounders of Rome). There’s even a version of the story in which Cyrus is raised by an eagle that found him in the forest.

These stories come from the famed historian Herodotus, who was known to mix mythology into his historical accounts. The idea that a very special person’s life must have had an unusual start is popular in cultures around the world.

Historians say Cyrus understood that he could never impose one culture, language, or belief system on an empire as large as his. His multicultural empire endured for around two hundred years until Alexander the Great (see here) eventually invaded and broke it up.

Cyrus’s Legacy

Today, Cyrus is admired for showing that a king doesn’t have to be brutal and intolerant to be great.

WHEN CYRUS WAS KING…

Buddhism developed in India

the first major river dam was built in China

Chinese philosopher Confucius, by then an old man, died

the Spartans continued to dominate the Olympic Games in Greece