Cyrus the Great

A Biography of Kingship

This book offers an analysis of the many stories celebrating the life and deeds of Cyrus the Great over millennia and what they reveal about Cyrus and contemporary societies who wrote about him. Suitable for students and scholars working on the Achaemenids, ancient kingship, and the history and literature of the ancient Near East.

Cyrus the Great was a celebrity of the ancient world, the founder of one of the first world empires in the ancient Near East, whose life and deeds were celebrated through the many stories told about him, then and for millennia.

This book offers an analysis of these stories, locating them within the rich storytelling cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and the Near East. Although there are few fixed points in Cyrus’ career, it is possible to see through these narratives the way his kingship developed so he became not just the instrument of the gods, but also their companion. Mitchell explores what these stories reveal about the different societies and cultures who engaged with the mythology surrounding Cyrus in order to examine their own conceptions of great men, leadership, kingship, and power. Such was his celebrity in antiquity that the stories about his kingship have remained influential over the course of two and a half thousand years into the modern era.

Cyrus the Great: A Biography of Kingship is of interest to students and scholars studying the Achaemenids and ancient kingship, particularly as it is depicted in the literary and historical traditions of the ancient Near East, as well as those working on the Near Eastern world more generally. Scholars of Greek history in this period will also find much to interest them.

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