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The Persian Empire was the world's dominant geo-political force from the later sixth century to its conquest by Alexander in the 330s BCE. Much of the empire's territory was conquered by its founder, Cyrus the Great.
King of the World provides the most cohesive and readable portrait of the ruler, whose immense impact on ancient civilization is not fully appreciated.
List of contents
- Preface
- Figures and Maps
- Chronological Chart/Table
- Timeline
- Chapter 1 - Introduction: The Kings of Anshan
- Scope and Scale: The Cusp of the First World Empire
- An Achaemenid Renaissance
- Setting the Historical Stage
- Persians and Iranians
- The Kingdom of Anshan/Parsumash among the Great Powers pp. 14-23
- Cyrus I
- A Royal Heirloom
- What's in a (Throne) Name?
- Endnotes
- Chapter 2 - An Irresistible Force
- A New Son Rising
- Cyrus and Cassandane
- The Daughters of Cyrus: Atossa and Artystone
- Endnotes
- Chapter 3 - On the March
- Median Problems
- (More) Dreaming of Cyrus
- Cyrus' War with Astyages
- Go West, Young Man
- Endnotes
- Chapter 4 - The Chosen One
- The Conquest of Babylonia
- Cyrus' Babylonian Inscriptions
- The Cyrus Cylinder
- Royal Inscriptions from Uruk and Ur
- The Verse Account
- A Time of Transition
- Endnotes
- Chapter 5 - The Imperial Project
- (Re)Ordering the World
- The Roads Go Ever On
- The Persian Army
- A Unifying Ideology
- More Territory, More Capitals
- Pasargadae
- Tomb of Cyrus
- Gate R
- Palaces S and P
- Paradise Found, The Royal Garden
- The Zendan and the Tall-i Takht
- Exit Pasargadae
- Cyrus the Polytheist
- Endnotes
- Chapter 6 - Legacies
- The Death of Cyrus
- Reality and Imagination
- Recalling Cyrus: Alexander III of Macedon
- Subtle but Formidable Remembrances
- Conclusions: New out of Old
- Endnotes
- Appendix A - On Sources
- Endnotes
- Appendix B - Translation of the Cyrus Cylinder
- Appendix C - Teispids and Achaemenids
- Endotes
- Bibliography
About the author
Matt Waters is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He is the author of Ctesias' Persica and Its Near Eastern Context and Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BCE, among other works.
Summary
The Persian Empire was the world's first hyperpower, with territory stretching from Central Asia to Northeastern Africa and from Southeastern Europe to the Indus Valley. It was the dominant geopolitical force from the later sixth century to its conquest by Alexander in the 330s BCE. Much of the empire's territory was conquered by its founder, Cyrus the Great, who reigned from 559-530 BCE. Cyrus became a legend in his own lifetime, and his career inspired keen interest from Persia's unruly neighbors to the west, the ancient Greeks. The idealized portrait of Cyrus by the Greek Xenophon had a profound impact on ancient, medieval, and early modern debates about rulership.
King of the World provides an authoritative and accessible account of Cyrus the Great's life, career, and legacy. While Greek sources remain central to any narrative about Cyrus, a wealth of primary evidence is found in the ancient Near East, including documentary, archaeological, art historical, and biblical material. Matt Waters draws from all of these sources while consistently contextualizing them in order to provide a cohesive understanding of Cyrus the Great. This overview addresses issues of interpretation and reconciles limited material, while the narrative keeps Cyrus the Great's compelling career at the forefront. Cyrus' legacy is enormous and not fully appreciated— King of the World takes readers on a journey that reveals his powerful impact and preserves his story for future generations.
Additional text
The contrast between this archaeological exposition and the narrative paraphrases of the more literary sources suggests that it may be of more interest to Classics teachers than learners; but those teachers could probably find ways to make use of it.
