cyrus

Question 1

how did cyrus legitimise his conquest of babylon

Answer 1

presented himself as the champion of Marduk (presented by nabonidus as blasphemous and cruel, a man who abandoned the patron god of the city - nabonidus chronicles / cyrus cylinder)

Question 2

deception in the cyrus cylinder

Answer 2

conquest of babylon over in less than a year (untrue - utilised for sense of divine aid)

Question 3

cyrus and david in the hebrew bible

Answer 3

in Isaiah, Cyrus is presented as an anointed or chosen one sent by god to rule - to reconcile the political reality with their with their own advancement

no significant reconstruction of Judaean cities occurred until the time of darius

Question 4

is cyrus policy of religious tolerance unprecedented?

Answer 4

returning gods to their shrine is not new in the ancient middle east - esarhaddon to name one

Question 5

cyrus conquest of ecbatana

Answer 5

coronated sitting upon Astyages throne in the royal tent with the sceptre - spared the Medean king and possibly married his daughter Amytis

Cyrus assimilating into the local system - all his titles on the behistun inscription

Question 8

cyrus’ conquest of Lydia in Herodotus

Answer 8

Cyrus puts Pactyes (a Lydian) as the civilian administrator under satrap tabalus

but when he inspired revolt he sent Mede Mazares to enslave any revolting Lydians and removed them from commanding positions in the army

Question 9

cyrus’ capture of Otis

Answer 9

massacred the population after defeating nabonidus