Cyrus the Great 1 How did Cyrus become

Cyrus the Great 1. How did Cyrus become King of Persia?

How did Cyrus become King of Persia? February 2021 RRR: how did Cyrus come to the throne of Persia? Which statements are TRUE and which are FALSE? Lesson Objectives: • to explain and assess the reasons why Cyrus became King or Persia. 1) King Darius was a king of the Persian Empire. 2) One of the countries in the Persian Empire was the UK. 3) The Persian Empire was not very tolerant of other cultures. 4) One important city in the Persian Empire was Babylon 5) Herodotus wrote much about the Persian Empire 6) The Persians were poor engineers and builders 7) As well as the Persians, we will also be studying the Spartans 8) Most of the Persian Empire was located in Europe.

Cyrus’s Empire – significant facts • 550 BC – Conquered several neighboring kingdoms; MEDES, LYDIAN, BABYLONIANS • Military genius • Controlled an empire spanning 2000 miles • Kindness toward conquered people • Honored local customs and religions • 538 BC - Allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, Jerusalem • Considered by the Jews to be one of God’s anointed ones – the “messiah”. How far do these events prove that Cyrus had a significant impact on the Persian empire? - Select one main evet that best demonstrates his impact. - Explain WHY it demonstrate his impact.

Tolerance !!! • Cyrus use the idea of tolerance to keep the peace and to seem like a liberator. • He allowed people to keep their local customs and religions. • He showed kindness toward conquered peoples. But how do we know so much about his reign and how he treated his people? ? ? He left us, his Cyrus Cylinder…

Primary Source – The Cyrus Cylinder (539 BC) • “This is the word of Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he himself has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. To every man of his people now among you I say, God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord God of Israel, the God whose city is Jerusalem. ” • What can we infer from this source about the type of ruler Cyrus was? • How might the message of the Cyrus cylinder helped Cyrus remain in control? • Why might we question the reliability of the Cyrus Cylinder?

Cyrus’s Youth and Upbringing In Herodotus’ version of Cyrus’ childhood, Cyrus is sent away and ordered to be killed when he is a baby, because his grandfather had a dream that Cyrus would one day grow up and take his throne from him. The man charged with killing baby Cyrus, Harpagus, doesn’t kill the child and gives him to a Shepard to be raised instead. Cyrus is later discovered as a teenage boy, and although his grandfather, Astyages, seems fine with this, he BRUTALLY punishes Harpagus for not killing Cyrus when he was a baby. Cyrus will later use this to his advantage, when he DOES indeed take the kingdom from his Grandfather… CHALLENGE: This story makes Cyrus look very impressive, even from a young age. Explain how this story would benefit Cyrus’ rule as king when he was older? – use specific detail from the story to support your explanation TASK 1 – using the extended story of Cyrus’ youth, complete the following tasks; a. Bullet point Cyrus’s youth in your own words – must be 4 points b. What evidence is there of mythology in Herodotus’ account of Cyrus’ youth? c. What kind of man was King Astyages of the Medes? d. What would Harpagus feel about King Astyages?

Task 2 – Why make such a mythical story? Paired discussion; • What similarities does the story of Cyrus’s youth have with other ancient or more modern legends such as Moses and Romulus and Remus? • Why do you think such stories have arisen about the youth of King Cyrus? How would it have benefitted him as king of Persia?

Task 3 – Cyrus and Astyages • Use the information on p 8 -9 of the OCR textbook and what you have learned to complete the spider diagram; Harpagus did not have the heart to kill Cyrus and obey Astyages Why was Cyrus able to defeat King Astyages?

Plenary ‘Cyrus’ ascension had far more to do with luck, than it did skill’. How far would you agree with this statement?