Cyrus The Great

The Persian ruler, Cyrus the great establishes the Achaemenid empire. He ruled in Persia from 559 BCE to 530 BCE. The Achaemenid Empire was founded by him. He is mentioned respectfully in the Hebrew Bible for his conquering of Babylon, He is known for liberating the Jews from captivity. It is estimated that between 590 BCE to 580 BCE, he was born either in Media or in Persis. The Greek historian Herodotus was the major source of his life. According to Herodotus, Cyrus was called father by the Persians.

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Iranians were a large migratory group and Persians were part of this group. The Persians and other Iranian groups started expanding their rule over nomadic tribes after forming tribal societies. This great leader of the Persians conquered the Medes and for the first time, the people of Iran were united under one ruler. After becoming the Persian King, he went on to establish one of the largest empires in the world.

Establishment of the Achaemenid Persian Empire

The first king of Persia, Achaemenes was the great-great-grandfather of Cyrus. Cyrus emerged as the ruler of Persia in 559 BCE. The grandfather of Cyrus called Astyages used to rule over Persia which was a small tributary state to the Median Empire. In order to establish a level of independence and for protection, Persia paid the Medes.

A rebellion was started by Cyrus when he conflicted with his grandfather and he succeeded in 550 BCE. His victory became memorable when he established a city on the site of the battle and named it Pasargadae, after his tribe. Cyrus emerged as the ruler of the Median Empire after defeating his grandfather, Astyages. Everyone did not accept Cyrus as their new ruler. Cyrus had to find ways to bring lesser rulers under his control to solidify his powers. His success led to earned him the title of "Cyrus the Great."

Toleration and Maintaining Local Traditions

Cyrus very well knew the importance of leaving the regions that were conquered by him in a well economic order if they were going to provide him with tribute revenues.  Although he was a successful military commander, also a good economist. So he left the rulers of local regions in place after conquering a region. He also permitted the locals to continue practising their preferred religious traditions. He is remembered in history for his religious tolerance and for maintaining the traditions of locals.

In ancient Mesopotamia in order to relocate or migrate the people who were conquered to new areas in order to break up their political and cultural unity and make them less dangerous to the ruling power was a common imperial strategy. It was maybe a well-planed strategy on the part of Cyrus to ensure the loyalty of Jews and thus a continuation of his general policy of tolerance.

Political Developments of the Achaemenid Empire

Cambyses II who was the son of Cyrus the Great conquered Egypt and expanded the Achaemenid empire. A man pretending to be the brother of Cambyses II tried to take control of the empire when he was away in Egypt. In order to remove his pretender, he was returning from Egypt in 522 BCE Cambyses died and was succeeded by a general named Darius.

Darius became the sole ruler of Persia. He conquered the region that was rebellious. In his ruling, the Achaemenid Empire grew to its greatest extent. Darius reorganized the empire because of the initial challenges that he faced. He divided the empire into provinces. A political governor or a military commander was appointed by Darius for each province. The objective of this was the prevention of regional leaders from becoming too powerful. Darius also used religion to justify his powers like most of the ancient rulers. It was his claim that he was appointed to rule the world by the Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda. 

Cyrus the Great Religion

Cyrus the Great religion was a devout Zoroastrian. “Zoroastrianism”, also known as  Mazdayasna is one of the oldest religions of the world which is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. Cyrus is mentioned in history as a tolerant ruler who gave permission to his non-Iranian subjects to practice their own religions. He used to follow the Zoroastrian law of Asha but did not force Zoroastrianism on the people of conquered territories of Persia. The Silk Road was a network of trading routes that spread from China to the Middle East and into Europe through this road the beliefs of Zoroastrianism were spread across Asia. 

Economic Reforms

A standard currency was introduced by Darius which was a gold coin known as a daric. More economical activities were encouraged in the kingdom by making transactions easier. Money was everywhere accepted by almost everyone in place of almost anything unlike specific goods and services and was also easier to transport than most goods. Daric was helpful f in the collection of taxations and tributes in coins which allowed to concentrate the wealth of the empire.

The Decline of Achaemenid Power

Alexander the Great invaded the Achaemenid dynasty. This Empire finally fell to the invading armies of Macedon in 330 B.C. The Subsequent rulers tried to restore the Persian Empire to its Achaemenian boundaries but none of them succeeded in that and the Achaemenid empire never quite expanded the large size that was achieved under the leadership of Cyrus the Great. To gain the superpower of Persia, Alexander used his political and military. The Achaemenid Empire of Persia ruled the Mediterranean world for more than two centuries.

Do you know?

Cyrus the Great was buried in Pasargadae, his capital city in a limestone tomb, between 540 and 530 BC. This tomb has survived through time, internal divisions, regime changes, and revolutions.

Conclusion

Cyrus the Great establishes the Achaemenid empire and is also known as the founder of Persia and his works for the development of his nations. He was a great strategist of the military. He stretched his empire from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River. He won many battles and triumph over several countries.