Critical explanation and analysis of Ctesias’ narrative of Cyrus II’s ancestry

Document Type : ..

Authors

1 Associate professor/University of Isfahan

2 Department of history and Iranology, Faculty of literature and humanities, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.30465/hcs.2022.31169.2249

Abstract

The Persian Empire was founded after the conquest of Cyrus II (559-529B.C). Cyrus II, the founder of Persian Empire, came to power in 559 BC. During 559 to 539 BC, by conquering Ecbatana, Sardis, Babylon and coasts of Asia Minor, Cyrus was able to be the heir of great civilizations such as Assyrian Empire, Elam, Median Kingdom, Lydia and Babylonia. However, there is little or no clear information about the early stages of his life and his coming to power. As sources tell of the early stages of his life, different images emerge. One of these sources that is of great importance is the narrative of Ctesias. Ctesias describes Cyrus as the son of a bandit and a maid of the tribe of Mard, who revolts against them by passing through the stages of power in the Median Valley, transferring power to his family. This image of Cyrus is in contrast to the image presented by other literary and material sources of the Near East and classical Greek texts. In those narratives, Cyrus' place is considered to be the continuation of a royal family. This article aims to analyze the different aspects of narrative of Ctesias and to study why this narrative and the various elements within it have been formed. In this regard, this research will address this issue in a descriptive-analytical and library method, by studying literary and material data of the Achaemenid period.

Keywords

References

 
Auberger, J. 1995,"Ctésias romancier", L’Antiquité Classique, vol. 64, 57–73.
Benke, T., 2001, "Ktesias' Persika A Study in Greek Historiography of the East", This article is available in: http://theobenke.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/ktesias-persika2.pdf, 30 April 2001, pp. 1-32.
Bellmore, J., 1984,Nicolas of Damascus: Life of Augustus. Bristol, Kessinger Publishing.
Bigwood, J. M. 1986, 'P. OXY 2330 and Ctesias', Phoenix, vol. 40, No. 4, Classical Association of Canada, pp. 393–406.
Drews, R., 1973,The Greek Accounts of Eastern History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Diodorus Siculus ;
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0084:book=9:chapter=22&highlight=cambyses
Schmitt, R., “Ctesias” Encyclopaedia iranica, Vol. VI, Fasc. 4, pp. 441-446 http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ctesias
Gilmore, J., 1888,The Fragments of the Persika of Ktesias, Macmillan,London.
Henkelman, W. F. M., 2011, "Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Elamite: a Case of Mistaken Identity", Herodotus and the Persian Empire(Classica et Orientalia 3), edited by Robert Rollinger, Brigitte, Truschnegg, Reinjold Bichler, Wiesbaden,pp.577-634.
Herodotus, 1975, Histories, trans by A.D. Godley, Vol.1, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University press, London.
Hérodote, Histoires 1970, Livre I (Clio), Texte établie et traduit par Ph.-E. Legrand, Société d’Édition «Les Belles Lettres», Paris.
Jacoby, F., 1958, Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker, vol. III, C, no. 688, Leiden,E. J. Brill.
Justin, 1994, Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus, trans by J.C. Yardley, Oxford University Press.
Karttunen, K., 1997,"Ctesias in Transmission and Tradition", Topoi, pp. 635–646.
Kent, R. G., 1950, Old Persian Grammar Texts Lexicon, American Oriental Society, University of Pennsylvania.
Kent, R. G., 1946, "The Oldest Old Persian Inscription", Journal of The American Oriental Society, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 206-212.
Lenfant, D., 2004, Ctésias de Cinde. La Perse, L’Inde, Autre Fragments. Les Belles Lettres,Paris.
Llwellyn-jonse, L., Robson, J., 2010,Ctesias' History of Persia: Tales of the Orient, Routledge Pub., London and New York.
Stronk, J., 2007,"Ctesias of Cindus: A Reappraisal", Mnemosyne, vol. 60, pp. 25–58.
Waters, M., 2017, Ctesias' Persica and Its Near East Context, The University of Wisconsin Press, USA.
Waters, M., 2010, "Cyrus and the Medes", in: The World of Achaemenid Persia; History, Art and Society in Iran and The Ancient Near East, ed. by John Curtis and St. John Simpson, London and New York, I.B. Tauris & Co. ltd, p. 63-71.
Xenophon, 1960, Xenophon Cyropaedia, trans by Walter Miller, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press.
Zournatzi, A., 2011,"Cyrus the Great as a King of the City of Anshan", Paper presented in the First International Conference "Iran and the Silk Road" (National Museum of Iran, Tehran, 11-14 February 2011). The final version is to appear in D. Akbarzadeh (ed.), Proceedings of the First International Conference "Iran and the Silk Road", Tehran. pp.1-15
Historical Studies
Volume 12, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
spring and summer
September 2021
Pages 145-168

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics