Cyrus I
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2021) |
Cyrus I | |
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Achaemenid | |
Father | Teispes |
Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Cyrus I (
Life
Cyrus was an early member of the Achaemenid dynasty. He was apparently a grandson of its founder Achaemenes and son of Teispes, king of Anshan. Teispes' sons reportedly divided the kingdom between them after his death. Cyrus reigned as king of Anshan while his brother Ariaramnes was king of Parsa.
The chronological placement of this event is uncertain. This is due to his suggested, but still debated identification, with the
Cyrus is mentioned again in 639 BC. At that year Ashurbanipal managed to defeat
Ashurbanipal died in 627 BC. Cyrus presumably continued paying tribute to his sons and successors
Media and Babylon soon shared the lands previously controlled by the Assyrians. Anshan apparently fell under the control of the former. Cyrus is considered to have ended his days under the overlordship of either Cyaxares or his son Astyages (584–550 BC). Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses I. His grandson would come to be known as Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire.
It has been noted that this account of his life and reign would place his early activities more than a century before those of his grandson. This would place his fathering of Cambyses very late in life and his death at an advanced age. It has been argued that Kuraš and Cyrus were separate figures of uncertain relation to each other. The latter would have then reigned in the early 6th century BC and his reign would seem rather uneventful. Due to the current lack of sufficient records for this historical period it remains uncertain which theory is closer to the facts.
It has been suggested by
References
- A. Shapur Shahbazi: Cyrus I. In: Encyclopædia Iranica, vol. 6, p. 516 (contains only a part of the above-mentioned information).