lasrus
Though Cyrus succeeded to the throne in 559 BC, he was not yet an independent ruler.
Cyrus the Great
Conquest of the Median Empire
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replied to: lasrus
ericfischer
Replied to: Though Cyrus succeeded to the throne in 559 BC, he was...
His conquest of Media was only the start of his wars.
replied to: lasrus
theseustoo
Replied to: Though Cyrus succeeded to the throne in 559 BC, he was...
You must be reading Xenophon, or someone who was basing his account on Xenophon's 'Cyropaedia', because Herodotus clearly indicates that he was an independent ruler right from the start... although undoubtedly he was greatly endebted to Harpagus and the princes of the Median tribes who conspired to put him on the throne...
There are significant differences between the 'Cyropaedia' of Xenophon and the 'Histories' of Herodotus of Halicarnassus. I'm having trouble resolving them myself; and perhaps in the end they cannot be resolved; however, Xenophon's 'Cyropaedia' tells a completely different story about the nature of the relationship between Cyrus and his grandfather, Astyages.
Because it is clear that both writers were writing 'romances', and that their priorities were thus poetic, rather than historical, it is difficult to know which, if either, of these two is closer to the truth.
:)
There are significant differences between the 'Cyropaedia' of Xenophon and the 'Histories' of Herodotus of Halicarnassus. I'm having trouble resolving them myself; and perhaps in the end they cannot be resolved; however, Xenophon's 'Cyropaedia' tells a completely different story about the nature of the relationship between Cyrus and his grandfather, Astyages.
Because it is clear that both writers were writing 'romances', and that their priorities were thus poetic, rather than historical, it is difficult to know which, if either, of these two is closer to the truth.
:)