{"id":187405,"date":"2026-03-17T12:22:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/?p=187405"},"modified":"2026-03-30T10:20:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:20:39","slug":"cyrus_the_great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/en\/cyrus_the_great\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyrus the Great: The Persian King Who Captivated Philosophers, Rulers and Jews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Guinness Book of World Records lists the most extravagant official banquet in modern history: the celebration hosted by Iran\u2019s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, marking 2,500 years since the founding of the Achaemenid Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the occasion, an entire city of luxurious tent-villas was erected beside the ruins of Persepolis, the ancient Persian capital. Gourmet food was flown in on private aircraft from Paris, crowns and jewelry were specially produced for the Shah and the Shahbanu (empress), and royalty, heads of state, and presidents from around the world arrived to celebrate alongside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Decadence and Downfall In Iran: The Greatest Party In History | Real Stories\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dWxwtILhfvE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The party, held in 1971, attended by some 600 guests and lasting five hours, is now seen by many historians as one of the catalysts of the Islamic Revolution. While caviar flowed freely, Iran was burdened by mounting national debt, and many of its citizens were struggling with severe economic hardship. Religious leaders sharply criticized the extravagance of the Pahlavi court. Yet beyond accusations of corruption and wastefulness, much of the criticism focused on something deeper: the celebrations highlighted Iran\u2019s pre-Islamic identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like other Middle Eastern states that sought to construct alternatives to Islamic identity, Iran\u2019s rulers turned to history and archaeology to cultivate a form of nationalism rooted in the ancient past. The Shah saw modern Iran as the spiritual heir to the Achaemenid Empire, and accordingly saw himself as a \u201cnew Cyrus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But who was Cyrus? Why does a king who died more than two and a half millennia ago still influence us today? And why is he still invoked, even now, in speeches by politicians across the political spectrum when discussing the conflict with Iran?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"398\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20101229_Gates_of_the_nations_Persepolis_Iran-398x600.jpg\" alt=\"\u05e9\u05e2\u05e8 \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e9\u05d8 \u05d1&quot;\u05dc\u05de\u05e1\u05d5&quot; (\u05d7\u05d9\u05d4 \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9\u05ea \u05d5\u05e9\u05d5\u05de\u05e8\u05ea) \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05e4\u05e8\u05e1\u05e4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05e1\" class=\"wp-image-187204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20101229_Gates_of_the_nations_Persepolis_Iran-398x600.jpg 398w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20101229_Gates_of_the_nations_Persepolis_Iran-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20101229_Gates_of_the_nations_Persepolis_Iran.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gate decorated with a lamassu (a sacred protective creature) in the ruins of Persepolis, the capital established by Cyrus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Persians and Medes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The sources regarding the origins of Cyrus, son of Cambyses, are not entirely consistent. In some accounts he is described as the son of a local Persian ruler who rose to prominence; in others he is portrayed as the grandson of the ruler of Media, a kingdom which preceded the Persian Achaemenid Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The great Greek historian Herodotus, writing roughly a century after Cyrus lived, provides him with a dramatic and almost mythical birth story. According to Herodotus, Cyrus\u2019s birth was accompanied by a prophecy warning Astyages, king of Media, that his grandson would one day overthrow him and rule all of Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Astyages ordered a trusted advisor to dispose of the child. Unable to bring himself to kill the infant, the advisor secretly placed him with a shepherd and his wife. Herodotus writes that even as a child Cyrus displayed noble qualities, and before long his intelligence and courage drew attention, ultimately revealing his true identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The king of Media did not attempt to harm his grandson again. Instead, he punished the advisor who had failed to carry out the order, forcing him to eat a meal prepared from the flesh of his own son. Yet in doing so he unknowingly began fulfilling the prophecy himself, for the advisor later allied with Cyrus and helped him lead the revolt that ultimately placed Cyrus upon his grandfather\u2019s throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyrus appears to have been not only a gifted military commander but also a skilled diplomat, able to win the loyalty of many peoples. For example, he encouraged his commanders to marry local women from the lands they conquered, creating personal ties that could reduce resistance to Persian rule. Cyrus himself followed the same practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The event that ultimately transformed Cyrus\u2019s kingdom into an empire was the fall of Babylon, which proved ripe for conquest.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"759\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rembrandt_-_Belshazzars_Feast_-_WGA19123-759x600.jpg\" alt=\"\u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d1\u05dc\u05e9\u05d0\u05e6\u05e8, \u05e8\u05de\u05d1\u05e8\u05e0\u05d8. \u05d4\u05d0\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e2\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05de\u05ea\u05e8\u05d7\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d3\u05e0\u05d9\u05d0\u05dc \u05de\u05ea\u05d0\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d1\u05dc\u05e9\u05d0\u05e6\u05e8 (\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d5\u05e6\u05e8 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e0\u05d1\u05d5\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05d3) \u05d1\u05de\u05d4\u05dc\u05db\u05d5 \u05d3\u05e0\u05d9\u05d0\u05dc \u05de\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u05e2 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05e9\u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05ea\u05d9\u05dc\u05e7\u05d7 \u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05e0\u05ea\u05df \u05dc\u05e4\u05e8\u05e1. \u05d5\u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d1\u05dc \u05e0\u05db\u05d1\u05e9\u05ea \u05e2\u05dc \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05e9.\" class=\"wp-image-187207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rembrandt_-_Belshazzars_Feast_-_WGA19123-759x600.jpg 759w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rembrandt_-_Belshazzars_Feast_-_WGA19123-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rembrandt_-_Belshazzars_Feast_-_WGA19123-768x607.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rembrandt_-_Belshazzars_Feast_-_WGA19123.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Belshazzar\u2019s Feast<\/em>, Rembrandt. The events described in the Book of Daniel depict the feast of Belshazzar (the crown prince and son of Nabonidus), during which Daniel foretells that his kingdom will be taken and given to the Persians. That very night Babylon is conquered by Cyrus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Fall of Babylon<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Babylon was deeply divided by internal struggles. Its last king, Nabonidus, reportedly declared from the moment the crown was placed upon his head that he had little interest in the more mundane aspects of rulership. He preferred military conquests and temple-building to managing the Babylonian nobility and priesthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The priests of Marduk, Babylon\u2019s chief deity, were particularly resentful of the king because he attempted to promote several religious reforms, including elevating the cult of the moon god Sin (Nabonidus\u2019s mother had served as a priestess of Sin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching the growing unrest in Nabonidus\u2019s kingdom from afar, Cyrus formed an alliance with the priests of Marduk. During the conquest, large portions of the Babylonian army and many local priests defected to Cyrus\u2019s side, allowing Babylon to fall with surprising ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most rulers of the ancient world, a king required religious legitimacy in order to rule. Cyrus therefore portrayed Nabonidus as a sinner who had undermined the authority of the god Marduk, while presenting himself as Babylon\u2019s liberator and savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Cyrus Cylinder<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of consolidating his authority, Cyrus issued a proclamation, one that may sound very familiar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cMarduk, the great lord, established as his fate for me a magnanimous heart of one who loves Babylon, and I daily attended to his worship.&nbsp;My vast army marched into Babylon in peace [\u2026]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>all the kings who sit upon thrones throughout the world [\u2026] whose sanctuaries had been abandoned for a long time, I returned the images of the gods, who had resided there to their places and I let them dwell in eternal abodes. I gathered all their inhabitants and returned to them their dwellings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, at the command of Marduk, the great lord, I settled in their habitations, in pleasing abodes, the gods of Sumer and Akkad, whom Nabonidus, to the anger of the lord of the gods, had brought into Babylon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May all the gods whom I settled in their sacred centers ask daily&nbsp;of B\u00eal and N\u00e2bu that my days be long and may they intercede for my welfare&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1280px-Cyrus_Cylinder.jpg\" alt=\"\u05d2\u05dc\u05d9\u05dc \u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05e9, \u05e0\u05de\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d1\u05de\u05d5\u05d6\u05d9\u05d0\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d8\u05d9 \u05d1\u05dc\u05d5\u05e0\u05d3\u05d5\u05df.\" class=\"wp-image-187192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1280px-Cyrus_Cylinder.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1280px-Cyrus_Cylinder-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cyrus Cylinder, today held at the British Museum in London.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The proclamation written on a clay cylinder was discovered in 1879 in the foundations of the Esagila Temple in Babylon, and later came to be known as the Cyrus Cylinder. In it, Cyrus declares that he grants his subjects religious freedom, an approach that contrasted with the common policy of conquering rulers who often attempted to impose their own cults upon the populations they subdued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He abolished the Babylonian practice of deporting rebellious peoples, allowing them to return to the lands from which they had been exiled. He also returned the statues of gods that the Babylonians had taken captive from conquered territories, and even ordered the reconstruction of temples that had fallen into ruin, so that all the gods might reward him with long life in return for his deeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And one small nation, which had been living in exile in Babylon for seventy years, suddenly saw the fulfillment of its hopes within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cyrus of the Jews<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the opening chapter of the Book of Ezra, we encounter a proclamation strikingly similar in spirit to the declaration recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;spoken by Jeremiah,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;moved the heart&nbsp;of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The&nbsp;Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed&nbsp;me to build&nbsp;a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.&nbsp;Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the&nbsp;Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.&nbsp;And in any locality where survivors&nbsp;may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold,&nbsp;with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings&nbsp;for the temple of God&nbsp;in Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>(Ezra 1:1\u20134)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is good reason for this resemblance. Cyrus was addressing the people of Israel, who had been exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Presenting himself as an agent of the divine, he permitted them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, an act that effectively began the period known as the Return to Zion and led to the construction of the Second Temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the Jews, apparently those from poorer strata, did indeed return to the Land of Israel. Cyrus even returned to them the treasures that the Babylonians had taken from the Temple when it was destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other Jews, particularly those who were more economically established, remained behind in Babylon. If you have ever wondered why the story of the Book of Esther unfolds in Susa, the Persian capital, the answer lies here: its protagonists never returned to the Land of Israel, despite Cyrus\u2019s decree.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"476\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/105.The_Rebuilding_of_the_Temple_Is_Begun-476x600.jpg\" alt=\"\u05d4\u05e7\u05de\u05ea \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9, \u05d2\u05d5\u05e1\u05d8\u05d1 \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4\" class=\"wp-image-187201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/105.The_Rebuilding_of_the_Temple_Is_Begun-476x600.jpg 476w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/105.The_Rebuilding_of_the_Temple_Is_Begun-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/105.The_Rebuilding_of_the_Temple_Is_Begun.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Rebuilding of the Temple<\/em>, Gustav Dor\u00e9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Philosopher King<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Greek philosophers took considerable creative liberty when writing about Cyrus the Great, which might seem surprising. At the time, Persia was still a formidable rival of the Greek city-states. Nevertheless, Xenophon son of Gryllus \u2014 a general, thinker, and student of Socrates writing in the fourth century BCE \u2014 chose Cyrus as a model for ideal leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Xenophon\u2019s writings, Cyrus embodies the virtues of both a ruler and a commander. He is portrayed as powerful yet self-controlled, generous yet disciplined. Xenophon recounts, for instance, that Cyrus refrained from drinking wine even when his soldiers celebrated their victories, believing that a commander must remain sober and alert at all times. The religious freedom he granted his subjects is likewise depicted as a virtue, evidence of his restraint and his ability to avoid the tyranny that often accompanies great power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The historical Cyrus likely died during one of his military campaigns. Xenophon, however, treating him more as a literary figure than a strictly historical one, grants Cyrus an inspiring final speech, transforming him into a kind of philosopher-king. As Cyrus lies on his deathbed, he summons his sons, heirs, and the soldiers who fought beside him. He urges them to remain united for the sake of the nation, warning that without unity the empire will fall apart. He also speaks of the immortality of the soul, an idea that likely reflects Xenophon\u2019s own philosophical worldview.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pasargad_Tomb_Cyrus3.jpg\" alt=\"\u05e7\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05e9\" class=\"wp-image-187189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pasargad_Tomb_Cyrus3.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pasargad_Tomb_Cyrus3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The tomb of Cyrus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A King of Human Rights?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The tomb of Cyrus the Great stands in the ancient Persian city of Pasargadae, near Shiraz. According to Herodotus, an inscription placed upon the tomb read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;O man, whoever you are and wherever you come from, for I know you will come, I am Cyrus who won the Persians their empire. Do not, therefore, begrudge me this bit of earth that covers my body.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interpretations of Cyrus\u2019s character did not end with his death. In 1971, alongside the lavish five-hour banquet marking the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, the Cyrus Cylinder itself was displayed for the assembled guests. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi promoted the interpretation of the cylinder as the earliest declaration of human rights, presenting modern Iran as the heir to the ancient empire not only geographically but also in its supposedly progressive and enlightened spirit, even as he attempted to conceal the darker aspects of his regime behind Western and humanitarian rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most scholars today, however, note that the cylinder\u2019s language is typical of ancient rulers seeking to legitimize their rule through the favor of the gods. The concept of \u201chuman rights\u201d plays little to no role in the text itself. Instead, it emphasizes religious tolerance and the restoration of temples. Nevertheless, the narrative of the cylinder as an early human-rights document spread widely. One reason for this is that the Shah presented a replica of the cylinder to the United Nations headquarters in New York, where it remains today, symbolizing the unity of nations around the ideals of freedom and equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He is mentioned in the Bible as God\u2019s chosen agent, celebrated by Greek philosophers as the ideal king, and became an obsession of the last Shah of Iran. Why does Cyrus the Great continue to shape our world, even though he died some 2,500 years ago, and what does he have to do with the Islamic Revolution?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":467,"featured_media":187170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[1620],"tags":[5083,1232,1616,1727],"tags2":[5086,3067,2656,2713,2766],"class_list":["post-187405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","tag-biblical-stories","tag-history-of-israel","tag-middle-east","tag-persian-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cyrus the Great: The Persian King Who Captivated Philosophers, Rulers and Jews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"He is mentioned in the Bible as God\u2019s chosen agent, celebrated by Greek philosophers as the ideal king, and became an obsession of the last Shah of Iran. 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