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Sources for Cyrus, image, image, compare and contrast these two sources…
Sources for Cyrus
Cyrus Cylinder
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no other inscription of the Persian period has been written on this shape; it had mainly been used by Assyrian and Babylonian kings for building inscriptions
Cyrus chose this shape deliberately to link himself with his royal Assyrian predecessors, and to legitimise his kingship in Babylonia
he also references an old inscription of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria, which Cyrus put up near the entrance gates of Babylon
he describes Assurbanipal as his 'predecessor' - he wanted to be seen as a successor to the Assyrian king rather than a foreign conquerer
"the worship of Marduk, king of the gods, he [Nabonidus] removed from his heart"
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"He [Marduk] took Cyrus, King of Anshan, by the hand, proclaimed his nomination, called his name for the lordship over the whole world"
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offers an explanation (though false) for how he took Babylon without battle - he suggests he was welcomed as a saviour
Overall summary:
Cyrus gives a negative account of Nabonidus' rule, and says he supports Marduk
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Cyrus puts himself in charge of Babylonian religious ceremonies, restores the cult centres of the gods at Babylon
a document comparable to the Cyrus Cylinder, found in the city of Ur, also refers to the rebuilding of the Moon-temple of Ur
Cyrus likely intended to associate himself with the principal deity of each conquered city, ordering the restoration of temples - this clearly had political motivation rather than true devotion to a particular god
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The Nabonidus Chronicle
written in Neo-Babylonian cuneiform on one clay tablet, now in the BM
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this chronicle is the official record of the reign of Nabonidus, and ends with the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539
Column II
"Cyrus, king of Anshan"
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adopting the Elamite royal title, Cyrus regards himself as the successor to the kings of Elam
"Cyrus, King of Parsu"
Parsu or Parsa is reference to the region which the Persians inhabited, from this derives the name later given to the whole empire
"In the month of Ayyaru (April/May) he marched to Lydia. He defeated its king, took its possessions and stationed his own garrison there"
Column III
"when Cyrus did battle at Opis...the people of Akkad retreated. He carried off the plunder and slaughtered the people"
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Ezra 1.1-5
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after the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539, Cyrus allowed the return of the exiled Jews in Babylon
he is traditionally credited with issuing permission for the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem
this was not out of respect for Yahweh - his policy towards the Jewish deportees in Babylon ought to be seen in the same light as his restoration of the cult of Marduk in Babylon
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The upbringing of Cyrus
Herodotus 1.107
describes how Cambyses I was married to the Median king's daughter, Mandane
therefore Cyrus is the grandson of the Median King, according to Herodotus
but this story was probably circulated after Cyrus' conquest of Media in 547, and served to legitimate his rule there
Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 1.2.1
'it is agreed that his mother was Mandane, the daughter of Astyages, the king of the Medes"
here Xenophon follows Herodotus in confirming the marriage alliance between Cambyses I and Mandane, but provides no explanation of the political relationship between Media and Persia
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this is inaccurate regarding the origin of the name for the Persians, and instead reflects a hellenocentric view
the Persians took their name from the region of Parsa, where they had lived alongside the indigenous Elamite population
Nicolaus of Damascus
describes how "a law existed among the Medes that any man who was poor could go to a wealthy man and put himself into his care in order to be supported"
Cyrus, allegedly, belonging to one of the lowest tribes of Persia, the Mardians, did just this
at first he was looking after the royal gardens, before being promoted to the king's cupbearer
this sort of story can be traced back to the Assyrian King Sargon of Akkad, and the story of Moses is another variation
historical value is doubtful, but ideologically important
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compare and contrast these two sources regarding Cyrus' self-representation: in the Nabonidus Chronicle (Babylonian document), Cyrus is described as slaughtering the people of Opis, causing those in Babylon to surrender so they would not also get killed. Cyrus reframes this as divine intervention: the people of Babylon welcomed him as their saviour
