King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great

The Persian Empire was the world's first hyperpower, with territory stretching from Central Asia to Northeastern Africa and from Southeastern Europe to the Indus Valley. It was the dominant geopolitical force from the later sixth century to its conquest by Alexander in the 330s BCE. Much of the empire's territory was conquered by its founder, Cyrus the Great, who reigned from 559-530 BCE. Cyrus became a legend in his own lifetime, and his career inspired keen interest from Persia's unruly neighbors to the west, the ancient Greeks. The idealized portrait of Cyrus by the Greek Xenophon had a profound impact on ancient, medieval, and early modern debates about rulership. King of the World provides an authoritative and accessible account of Cyrus the Great's life, career, and legacy. While Greek sources remain central to any narrative about Cyrus, a wealth of primary evidence is found in the ancient Near East, including documentary, archaeological, art historical, and biblical material. Matt Waters draws from all of these sources while consistently contextualizing them in order to provide a cohesive understanding of Cyrus the Great. This overview addresses issues of interpretation and reconciles limited material, while the narrative keeps Cyrus the Great's compelling career at the forefront. Cyrus' legacy is enormous and not fully appreciated— King of the World takes readers on a journey that reveals his powerful impact and preserves his story for future generations.

Table of Contents:
Preface Figures and Maps Chronological Chart/Table Timeline Chapter 1 - Introduction: The Kings of Anshan Scope and Scale: The Cusp of the First World Empire An Achaemenid Renaissance Setting the Historical Stage Persians and Iranians The Kingdom of Anshan/Parsumash among the Great Powers pp. 14-23 Cyrus I A Royal Heirloom What's in a (Throne) Name? Endnotes Chapter 2 - An Irresistible Force A New Son Rising Cyrus and Cassandane The Daughters of Cyrus: Atossa and Artystone Endnotes Chapter 3 - On the March Median Problems (More) Dreaming of Cyrus Cyrus' War with Astyages Go West, Young Man Endnotes Chapter 4 - The Chosen One The Conquest of Babylonia Cyrus' Babylonian Inscriptions The Cyrus Cylinder Royal Inscriptions from Uruk and Ur The Verse Account A Time of Transition Endnotes Chapter 5 - The Imperial Project (Re)Ordering the World The Roads Go Ever On The Persian Army A Unifying Ideology More Territory, More Capitals Pasargadae Tomb of Cyrus Gate R Palaces S and P Paradise Found, The Royal Garden The Zendan and the Tall-i Takht Exit Pasargadae Cyrus the Polytheist Endnotes Chapter 6 - Legacies The Death of Cyrus Reality and Imagination Recalling Cyrus: Alexander III of Macedon Subtle but Formidable Remembrances Conclusions: New out of Old Endnotes Appendix A - On Sources Endnotes Appendix B - Translation of the Cyrus Cylinder Appendix C - Teispids and Achaemenids Endnotes Bibliography

About the Author :
Matt Waters is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He is the author of Ctesias' Persica and Its Near Eastern Context and Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BCE, among other works.

Review :
The book is a quick read and is a page turner. The interdisciplinary approach of weaving together history, archaeology, and other fields is much appreciated as well.... An excellent book for anyone seeking to learn about Cyrus and the Persian Empire. [Waters] has put together a careful but readable account of what we know about that empire's charismatic founder. Matt Waters...is one of those rare scholars capable both of reading the Cyrus Cylinder in its original Standard Babylonian—he includes a new translation as an appendix to his book King of the World—and also of writing about it, and its putative author, in an engaging, approachable way. His study takes us deep inside the career and achievements of Cyrus, while sensibly declining to reconstruct the king's inner life....His portrait of Cyrus is attractive and his research authoritative. Matt Waters' King of the World is an impressive biographical study of one of the most important figures in ancient history. Waters not only situates Cyrus in the context of Near Eastern and world history, but also his reception in the longue durée. This study of Cyrus the Great is a tour-de-force and will be welcomed and used by teachers, scholars, students, and the interested public. Waters' command of ancient sources and vast knowledge of recent scholarship offers a comprehensive overview of Cyrus, contextualized within the human landscape of the ancient world. Magnificent! Matt Waters' life of Cyrus has the right title for a book that would be appropriately epic; but I must admit to being a bit surprised at the rather slim volume sent for my review. Waters' Preface, however, makes clear what Cyrus' biographer is up against in writing a life that would be properly historical. The contrast between this archaeological exposition and the narrative paraphrases of the more literary sources suggests that it may be of more interest to Classics teachers than learners; but those teachers could probably find ways to make use of it.