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Ciro el Grande: Conquistador, liberador, ungido.
Ciro el Grande fue un brillante general que cimentó el Imperio Persa, el más grande de su tiempo. Fue también el rey que liberó a los judíos de su exilio en Babilonia y les permitió regresar a Jerusalén (la Biblia, de hecho, le menciona como el único no judío "ungido por Dios"). En esta primera biografía moderna de Ciro, Stephen Dando-Collins, el acreditado biógrafo histórico y autor de cuarenta y tres libros, desgrana la intensa juventud del personaje, su ascenso al poder a través de la rebelión, sus brillantes campañas militares que destruyeron los imperios medo, lidio y babilonio, y su magnificente e inigualable reinado. Con su habitual derroche de documentación y estilo narrativo de fácil lectura, Dando-Collins indaga en las raíces del mito para brindar una fascinante mirada en torno a una no menos fascinante vida. "¡Alégrense, lectores de historia, hay un nuevo gigante literario entre nosotros". DAVE GROSSMAN, autor de "En combate" "La apasionante narrativa de Dando-Collins se sitúa junto a algunas de las mejores publicaciones sobre el triunfo del espíritu humano". PHILIP SAMPONARO, Universidad de Texas. "Se puede confiar plenamente en Stephen Dando-Collins para narrar historias atractivas con gran entusiasmo". PETER STANLEY, Universidad de Nueva Gales del Sur en Canberra. "Dando-Collins es el historiador vivo más importante de ese periodo". ARTS y LETTERS MONTHLY
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2020
About the author
Stephen Dando-Collins
51 books127 followersStephen Dando-Collins is the multi-award-winning author of 48 books. British reviewer, noted playwright Robin Hawdon, says that Dando-Collins is "the modern age's foremost dramatizer of Greek and Roman history," while American reviewer bestselling military author Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman has described Dando-Collins as "a literary giant." Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, Dando-Collins has written ancient and modern history, children's novels, scientific nonfiction, and biographies. The bulk of his works deal with military history, ranging from Greek, Persian and Roman times to American, British and Australian 19th century history and World I and Word War II.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 1, 2023
Not really impressed by this book. Borrowed from the library, but it has issues right off the bat with the maps. It's city of Babylon map is based off a hypothetical layout of Babylon drawn by Unger in 1930, which we've known for over 30 years is a total work of fiction. Unger's reconstruction of Babylon guesses at the layout of entire West bank, which has still never been excavated, and puts two extra gates on the East bank that never existed, while putting the gate names in the wrong locations. Given this book was written in 2020, we can do better.
The map of Media on the next page is equally pulled from whole cloth, given we have no written sources from Media to have the faintest clue where their empire's boundaries lay, and it marks territory far to the east of the Zagros Mountains. Our only source on the extent of Media that would include that territory comes from Herodotus, who says Cyrus would go on to conquer them after he was in control of Media and its armies, but they certainly weren't under the Median banner in 552BC before Cyrus' rebellion, as the map claims.
The book tries to writes the story of Cyrus in a readable manner. Meaning it's taking portions of many sources and folding them together into a single narrative. This decision means it's threading some extremely dubious sources written half a millennium after the events, in amongst more proven reliable contemporary ones, while giving all of them the same weight.
It also has some truly execrable copy-editing. I made it to page 44, where I hit, "The most obvious choice was one of the two sons of Astyages's youngest daughter, Amytis, sister of Cyrus's morher[sic] - not to be confused with Astyages's sister, the queen of Babylon, after whom she had obviously been named. These boys had been. These boys had been fathered by Amytis's Median noble husband..."
At which point I was out.
The map of Media on the next page is equally pulled from whole cloth, given we have no written sources from Media to have the faintest clue where their empire's boundaries lay, and it marks territory far to the east of the Zagros Mountains. Our only source on the extent of Media that would include that territory comes from Herodotus, who says Cyrus would go on to conquer them after he was in control of Media and its armies, but they certainly weren't under the Median banner in 552BC before Cyrus' rebellion, as the map claims.
The book tries to writes the story of Cyrus in a readable manner. Meaning it's taking portions of many sources and folding them together into a single narrative. This decision means it's threading some extremely dubious sources written half a millennium after the events, in amongst more proven reliable contemporary ones, while giving all of them the same weight.
It also has some truly execrable copy-editing. I made it to page 44, where I hit, "The most obvious choice was one of the two sons of Astyages's youngest daughter, Amytis, sister of Cyrus's morher[sic] - not to be confused with Astyages's sister, the queen of Babylon, after whom she had obviously been named. These boys had been. These boys had been fathered by Amytis's Median noble husband..."
At which point I was out.
Read
April 13, 2021After an initial, interesting chapter on the ancient written sources about king Cyrus (most are heavily biased) the author outlines what we know about this person, his rise to power, his military conquests and his death as well as the immediate geopolitical aftermath.
The three highlights are: the masterful coup d'état uniting Persian forces with a disgruntled Median opposition; the defeat of king Croesus of Lydia; and the conquest of Babylon. A lot of attention is then paid to his alleged support for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as described in the Bible book of Ezra.
The approach is unorthodox and feels distinctly un-academic; it does not help that the author repeatedly refers to the "afterword by Professor David Richter" (thereby conveying the impression that it must have been written before the actual book). Nevertheless, the recurring explicit discussions of contradicting sources make this book more interesting than just an entertaining linear story.
The three highlights are: the masterful coup d'état uniting Persian forces with a disgruntled Median opposition; the defeat of king Croesus of Lydia; and the conquest of Babylon. A lot of attention is then paid to his alleged support for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as described in the Bible book of Ezra.
The approach is unorthodox and feels distinctly un-academic; it does not help that the author repeatedly refers to the "afterword by Professor David Richter" (thereby conveying the impression that it must have been written before the actual book). Nevertheless, the recurring explicit discussions of contradicting sources make this book more interesting than just an entertaining linear story.
June 22, 2026
Define Book Report:
A report is a written summary and analysis of a book’s content, illustrating your understanding of its main ideas, characters, plot, setting, and themes. The purpose of a book report is to provide sufficient information to help readers determine whether the book is enjoyable or beneficial to them.
Book Description:
Book Title: Cyrus the Great, Conqueror, Liberator, Anointed One
Author: Stephen Dando-Collins
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Date Published: 2020
Copyright: Stephen Dando-Collins
Chapters: 21
Number of Pages: 221
How did Cyrus the Great influence the world?
The author on page one says, “Cyrus has been credited with being the originator of a human rights creed that influenced Thomas Jefferson and his contribution to the United States Bill of Rights. Jefferson not only had a copy of the Cyropaedia of Greek writer Xenophon of Athens, a book in which the words, thoughts, and experiences of Cyrus are expounded, but he also made copious notations in the margins. Many other politicians, including Italy’s duplicitous Niccolo Machiavelli, drew inspiration from Cyrus.”
The author on page 9 says, “The Cyrus Cylinder’s text includes a self-propagandizing statement by Cyrus on how he conquered Babylon, restored the worship of Marduk, and repaired and improved the great city. It also says that, during the following year, Cyrus freed foreign captives taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar half a century earlier and allowed them to return to their homelands and restore their old temples.”
The author uses the notion of propaganda to discredit Cyrus the Great, who emancipated the Israelis from the captivity of Babylonia. However, according to the Bible, the source below presents a different account:
* Ezra 1:1-11: The Bible details Cyrus's proclamation and the return of the temple treasures.
* 2 Chronicles 36:22-23: The Bible gives a brief summary of Cyrus fulfilling the word of the Lord.
* Isaiah 44:28-45:7: The Bible presents the prophetic passages in which God names Cyrus as His shepherd to rebuild Jerusalem.
The Birth of a Global Leader:
There is no accurate information about the births of classical leaders, and their births are often surrounded by supernatural, divine intervention and mystery. Cyrus the Great’s account of birth and rise to power is like that of any other classical leader.
Astyages dreamt that his daughter urinated an enormous amount that flooded his city and eventually the whole of Asia. The author on page 13 asks Magi to interpret his dream, and they replied, “Your dream, sire, signifies that the offspring of your daughter will reign over Asia instead of you. Terrified by this prospect, Astyages decided to act on the dream’s warning. Mandana had reached marrying age, which, in ancient times, occurred once a girl entered her teens. Determined not to marry her to a Median noble, Astyages decided to marry her to a foreigner, a Persian noble: Cambyses, son of Cyrus I.”
The author, on page 14, says that Astyages had another dream about Mandana, now the queen of Ansan. This time, a vine grew from her womb and encompassed all of Asia Minor. Panicking, Astyages summoned the leading magi, who declared that the dream again foreshadowed a child ruling Asia in his stead. So he had Mandana brought to Ecbatana, where she was lodged in the royal palace under close guard. It was his intention to have the child killed once it entered the world. He then summoned Harpagus, a nephew or cousin on his personal staff, and ordered him to carry the child to his home territory and kill and bury it there. Harpagus was shocked by the callous command.”
The author says on page 15, “Harpagus sent for a royal slave, a Persian cattle manager in the king’s service by the name of Mithradates…a woman named Cyno who had previously served as a maid at the royal palace. While he was waiting for Mithradates to arrive, Harpagus must have employed a wet nurse in secret to feed the child and keep him alive.”
The author says on page 16, “When Mithradates asked what he was to do with the baby, Harpagus said he was to leave him in the mountains to die, adding that this was Astyages’s wish. He did not reveal the child’s parents’ identities to Mithradates. He stressed that if Mithradates failed to carry out the order, he would suffer a slow death at the hands of royal executioners. Herodotus, who relates this part of the story, says that Harpagus provided Mithradates with a cradle for the child and a servant to guide him from the city, past the prying eyes of sentries and officials.”
The author on page 17 says, “Now Cyno revealed that her tears were not only for the baby in her husband’s arms. While Mithradates had been away, Cyno had given birth to a boy. But that boy had been stillborn, and Cyno had been waiting for Mithradates’s return so that he could carry out their son’s funeral rites…Cyno urged her husband to lay their dead boy in the hills in the place of Mandana’s son, after which they could raise the royal baby as their own.”
The author on page 18 says,” Mithradates thought this an admirable solution. There would be an element of risk involved, but as long as their secret remained with just Cyno and himself, no one else would be the wiser. And they would have a son to raise. Giving the child who would grow to become Cyrus II to his wife to care for.”
The author says on pages 32-33, “According to the Cyrus myth created by his blood parents, which Herodotus says was current in his day, Cyrus, abandoned in the wild, had been suckled by a wild dog until Mithra sent a cowherd to save him. This was designed to show that Cyrus had been chosen by God to lead his people—in this case, Bel, or the Lord known as Mithra to the Persians and Marduk to the Babylonians. Romulus and Remus are suckled in the wilds by a wolf. Although Rome had been founded some 150 years before the birth of Cyrus, the she-wolf myth about Rome’s origins can be dated only to the third century BC, and many have been influenced by Herodotus’s earlier account of Cyrus and the Persian Empire’s so-called Foundation Myth.”
The Faith of Mithraism:
The author on page 33 says Mithraism, the worship of Mithra, became popular throughout the Roman Empire, especially among slaves and the lower ranks of the army, rivalling Christianity until it later became the religion of the emperors, after which followers of Mithra were officially persecuted and stamped out.
Author Reza Zarghamee, in his book, “Discovering Cyrus the Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World,” states that the faith of Mithra:
Ancient Iranian Roots: Long before the rise of Zoroastrianism, Mithra was worshipped in pre-Zoroastrian Iran as the powerful deity of light, oaths, truth, and the sun. The word "Mithra" comes from the Indo-Iranian root word for "contract" or "covenant".
Persian Empire: Even as Zoroastrianism became the dominant faith of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid kings, Mithra remained a highly revered divine figure (or yazata).
The Roman Cult (Mithraism): Centuries later, in the Roman Empire, a wildly popular, secretive mystery religion called Mithraism emerged. While the Romans adopted the Persian name and incorporated some eastern concepts, modern scholars widely agree that Roman Mithraism was largely a distinct, newly formed Roman religion rather than a direct, unaltered export from Iran.
The author Zarghamee says that it is unclear whether Cyrus the Great adhered to the faith of Mithra or Zoroastrianism.
The author on page 43 says, “King Astyages at Ecbatana…kept a tight rein on his grandson, but in 560 or 559 BC, he had permitted Cyrus to wed…Cassandana gave birth to a son, whom Cyrus named Cambyses in honour of his father.”
The author on page 44 says, “Astyages’ relative Harpagus, who had failed in his appointed task of murdering Cyrus when he was a baby, fostered Cyrus’s friendship, giving him gifts and sending him friendly messages. Although Harpagus had remained in Astyages’s favour, he had secretly never forgiven the king for executing his son.”
Harpagus was able to convince leading men at the Median court, including a noble by the name of Mazares, to join him in backing Cyrus if he led the men of Persis in rising against Astyages.”
The author on page 46 says, “AStyages permitted Cyrus to go home to Anshan to visit his family. According to Ctesias, Cyrus’s new assistant Oebares had been quietly urging him to lead the Persians in revolt despite the failure of his plan to recruit. Cadusian support”.
The author on page 47 says, “Astyages gave the cooperative eunuch a sign, and in his absence, the eunuch made the request on his behalf. Astyages then called for Cyrus to return. Cyrus dispatched a message to his father, Cambyses, in distant Anshan, to urgently send 1,500 mounted fighting men and 5,000 foot soldiers to meet him at the Persian city of Hybra.”
The author on page 48 says, “Astyages dined and drank, one of his female entertainers sang a song that went:
Although the lion had the wild boar in his power, He let him go into his lair. He became mightier there and would give the lion much grief, and despite being weaker, he would end up subduing one stronger. The song stirred emotion in Astyages, who made the mistake of allowing Cyrus to leave, and he called upon his royal guard to bring Cyrus back. The royal guard intercepted Cyrus and asked him to return. Cyrus was invited to a feast, and the soldiers slept the night as Cyrus used the cover of darkness to escape.
Cyrus the Great defeated Astyages in 550 BCE by uniting the Persian tribes in a rebellion and securing a decisive victory at the Battle of Pasargadae. This triumph was largely sealed when Astyages' own top general, Harpagus, defected his forces to the Persian side as revenge for a past grievance.
Cyrus Rise to Global Leader:
The author on page 180 says, “In the first year of Cyrus the king , the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, 'Let the house be built, and the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundation be strongly laid. ' " laid; the height to be sixty cubits, and the breadth sixty cubits, with three rows of great stones and a row of new timber, and let the expenses be provided by the king’s palace.”
A report is a written summary and analysis of a book’s content, illustrating your understanding of its main ideas, characters, plot, setting, and themes. The purpose of a book report is to provide sufficient information to help readers determine whether the book is enjoyable or beneficial to them.
Book Description:
Book Title: Cyrus the Great, Conqueror, Liberator, Anointed One
Author: Stephen Dando-Collins
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Date Published: 2020
Copyright: Stephen Dando-Collins
Chapters: 21
Number of Pages: 221
How did Cyrus the Great influence the world?
The author on page one says, “Cyrus has been credited with being the originator of a human rights creed that influenced Thomas Jefferson and his contribution to the United States Bill of Rights. Jefferson not only had a copy of the Cyropaedia of Greek writer Xenophon of Athens, a book in which the words, thoughts, and experiences of Cyrus are expounded, but he also made copious notations in the margins. Many other politicians, including Italy’s duplicitous Niccolo Machiavelli, drew inspiration from Cyrus.”
The author on page 9 says, “The Cyrus Cylinder’s text includes a self-propagandizing statement by Cyrus on how he conquered Babylon, restored the worship of Marduk, and repaired and improved the great city. It also says that, during the following year, Cyrus freed foreign captives taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar half a century earlier and allowed them to return to their homelands and restore their old temples.”
The author uses the notion of propaganda to discredit Cyrus the Great, who emancipated the Israelis from the captivity of Babylonia. However, according to the Bible, the source below presents a different account:
* Ezra 1:1-11: The Bible details Cyrus's proclamation and the return of the temple treasures.
* 2 Chronicles 36:22-23: The Bible gives a brief summary of Cyrus fulfilling the word of the Lord.
* Isaiah 44:28-45:7: The Bible presents the prophetic passages in which God names Cyrus as His shepherd to rebuild Jerusalem.
The Birth of a Global Leader:
There is no accurate information about the births of classical leaders, and their births are often surrounded by supernatural, divine intervention and mystery. Cyrus the Great’s account of birth and rise to power is like that of any other classical leader.
Astyages dreamt that his daughter urinated an enormous amount that flooded his city and eventually the whole of Asia. The author on page 13 asks Magi to interpret his dream, and they replied, “Your dream, sire, signifies that the offspring of your daughter will reign over Asia instead of you. Terrified by this prospect, Astyages decided to act on the dream’s warning. Mandana had reached marrying age, which, in ancient times, occurred once a girl entered her teens. Determined not to marry her to a Median noble, Astyages decided to marry her to a foreigner, a Persian noble: Cambyses, son of Cyrus I.”
The author, on page 14, says that Astyages had another dream about Mandana, now the queen of Ansan. This time, a vine grew from her womb and encompassed all of Asia Minor. Panicking, Astyages summoned the leading magi, who declared that the dream again foreshadowed a child ruling Asia in his stead. So he had Mandana brought to Ecbatana, where she was lodged in the royal palace under close guard. It was his intention to have the child killed once it entered the world. He then summoned Harpagus, a nephew or cousin on his personal staff, and ordered him to carry the child to his home territory and kill and bury it there. Harpagus was shocked by the callous command.”
The author says on page 15, “Harpagus sent for a royal slave, a Persian cattle manager in the king’s service by the name of Mithradates…a woman named Cyno who had previously served as a maid at the royal palace. While he was waiting for Mithradates to arrive, Harpagus must have employed a wet nurse in secret to feed the child and keep him alive.”
The author says on page 16, “When Mithradates asked what he was to do with the baby, Harpagus said he was to leave him in the mountains to die, adding that this was Astyages’s wish. He did not reveal the child’s parents’ identities to Mithradates. He stressed that if Mithradates failed to carry out the order, he would suffer a slow death at the hands of royal executioners. Herodotus, who relates this part of the story, says that Harpagus provided Mithradates with a cradle for the child and a servant to guide him from the city, past the prying eyes of sentries and officials.”
The author on page 17 says, “Now Cyno revealed that her tears were not only for the baby in her husband’s arms. While Mithradates had been away, Cyno had given birth to a boy. But that boy had been stillborn, and Cyno had been waiting for Mithradates’s return so that he could carry out their son’s funeral rites…Cyno urged her husband to lay their dead boy in the hills in the place of Mandana’s son, after which they could raise the royal baby as their own.”
The author on page 18 says,” Mithradates thought this an admirable solution. There would be an element of risk involved, but as long as their secret remained with just Cyno and himself, no one else would be the wiser. And they would have a son to raise. Giving the child who would grow to become Cyrus II to his wife to care for.”
The author says on pages 32-33, “According to the Cyrus myth created by his blood parents, which Herodotus says was current in his day, Cyrus, abandoned in the wild, had been suckled by a wild dog until Mithra sent a cowherd to save him. This was designed to show that Cyrus had been chosen by God to lead his people—in this case, Bel, or the Lord known as Mithra to the Persians and Marduk to the Babylonians. Romulus and Remus are suckled in the wilds by a wolf. Although Rome had been founded some 150 years before the birth of Cyrus, the she-wolf myth about Rome’s origins can be dated only to the third century BC, and many have been influenced by Herodotus’s earlier account of Cyrus and the Persian Empire’s so-called Foundation Myth.”
The Faith of Mithraism:
The author on page 33 says Mithraism, the worship of Mithra, became popular throughout the Roman Empire, especially among slaves and the lower ranks of the army, rivalling Christianity until it later became the religion of the emperors, after which followers of Mithra were officially persecuted and stamped out.
Author Reza Zarghamee, in his book, “Discovering Cyrus the Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World,” states that the faith of Mithra:
Ancient Iranian Roots: Long before the rise of Zoroastrianism, Mithra was worshipped in pre-Zoroastrian Iran as the powerful deity of light, oaths, truth, and the sun. The word "Mithra" comes from the Indo-Iranian root word for "contract" or "covenant".
Persian Empire: Even as Zoroastrianism became the dominant faith of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid kings, Mithra remained a highly revered divine figure (or yazata).
The Roman Cult (Mithraism): Centuries later, in the Roman Empire, a wildly popular, secretive mystery religion called Mithraism emerged. While the Romans adopted the Persian name and incorporated some eastern concepts, modern scholars widely agree that Roman Mithraism was largely a distinct, newly formed Roman religion rather than a direct, unaltered export from Iran.
The author Zarghamee says that it is unclear whether Cyrus the Great adhered to the faith of Mithra or Zoroastrianism.
The author on page 43 says, “King Astyages at Ecbatana…kept a tight rein on his grandson, but in 560 or 559 BC, he had permitted Cyrus to wed…Cassandana gave birth to a son, whom Cyrus named Cambyses in honour of his father.”
The author on page 44 says, “Astyages’ relative Harpagus, who had failed in his appointed task of murdering Cyrus when he was a baby, fostered Cyrus’s friendship, giving him gifts and sending him friendly messages. Although Harpagus had remained in Astyages’s favour, he had secretly never forgiven the king for executing his son.”
Harpagus was able to convince leading men at the Median court, including a noble by the name of Mazares, to join him in backing Cyrus if he led the men of Persis in rising against Astyages.”
The author on page 46 says, “AStyages permitted Cyrus to go home to Anshan to visit his family. According to Ctesias, Cyrus’s new assistant Oebares had been quietly urging him to lead the Persians in revolt despite the failure of his plan to recruit. Cadusian support”.
The author on page 47 says, “Astyages gave the cooperative eunuch a sign, and in his absence, the eunuch made the request on his behalf. Astyages then called for Cyrus to return. Cyrus dispatched a message to his father, Cambyses, in distant Anshan, to urgently send 1,500 mounted fighting men and 5,000 foot soldiers to meet him at the Persian city of Hybra.”
The author on page 48 says, “Astyages dined and drank, one of his female entertainers sang a song that went:
Although the lion had the wild boar in his power, He let him go into his lair. He became mightier there and would give the lion much grief, and despite being weaker, he would end up subduing one stronger. The song stirred emotion in Astyages, who made the mistake of allowing Cyrus to leave, and he called upon his royal guard to bring Cyrus back. The royal guard intercepted Cyrus and asked him to return. Cyrus was invited to a feast, and the soldiers slept the night as Cyrus used the cover of darkness to escape.
Cyrus the Great defeated Astyages in 550 BCE by uniting the Persian tribes in a rebellion and securing a decisive victory at the Battle of Pasargadae. This triumph was largely sealed when Astyages' own top general, Harpagus, defected his forces to the Persian side as revenge for a past grievance.
Cyrus Rise to Global Leader:
The author on page 180 says, “In the first year of Cyrus the king , the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, 'Let the house be built, and the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundation be strongly laid. ' " laid; the height to be sixty cubits, and the breadth sixty cubits, with three rows of great stones and a row of new timber, and let the expenses be provided by the king’s palace.”
September 3, 2023
A great narrative about Cyrus who is often overlooked in the annals of Greek history, overshadowed by Darius and Xerxes with their respective invasions. A quick narrative pace broken up by a lot of archaeological and religious references which I already knew about so was less interested in. Dando-Collins does a great initial analysis of the source materials (Xenophon was a Cyrus fanboy tbh) at the beginning of the book, but the book has some weird focus problems. Glad I read it though as it's SUPER easy to digest. Recommended.
April 17, 2026
Loved the binding / cover on this book. Soft touch matte cover that gives it a different feel in your hands. I loved the content of this book starting out with the details and background on Cyrus and his family. Great read until I get towards the end. That is when it felt like the authors religious belief (or should I say disbelief) overtones took over. I read history books for the facts and what evidence we have to support that, not biased information trying to prove or disapprove something. Good read till the end.
March 15, 2021
Well written biography of an overlooked yet fascinating historical figure. I couldn't help thinking as I read about Cyrus' life what a great movie it would make! Persia gets so little attention compared to Greece and Rome and yet it was one of the largest, richest, and longest lasting empires in history and profoundly affected the subsequent development of the Middle East.
July 12, 2023
This was a highly informative book. The only issue i had with it was the last few pages where donald trump was compared to Cyrus the Great, which, in my opinion, should have been scratched from the book. To compare a fool like trump to one of the most revered leaders in ancient times (even to state facts) ... I don't know what the author was thinking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2025
Muy buen comienzo, sin embargo a medida que avanza se centra demasiado en los judíos y temas religiosos, sobre todo al final con la candidatura de Trump, parece más propaganda religiosa o política que otra cosa. Hay varios detalles sobre la historia de Ciro que se terminaron omitiendo, es una desgracia tomando en cuenta lo bien hecho que hasta la mitad de la historia se encuentra el libro.
December 27, 2021
This book started strong and great, with the almost mythological childhood of Cyrus to all the great battles. It then got a little boring (for me) later in his life when it came to his relationship with religion and how it impacted his rule.
All together a history I really enjoyed learning about.
All together a history I really enjoyed learning about.
Did Not Finish
June 29, 2023The analysis of sources and the mythological beginnings of Cyrus's life were interesting. However, the book quickly turned into "this happened. Then this happened..." The analysis and interesting writing became very dry, and I decided not to keep reading.
August 13, 2024
The sheer interest of the subject matter redeems this, where the author tries to force some convoluted analysis of Donald Trump’s personage with regards to American evangelicals. South Park does a better job explaining the rise of Cyrus with Scott Tenerman than this book does.
February 5, 2021
Does a good job of sifting through the sources and putting together a coherent and entertaining narrative.
May 2, 2021
Skimmed through it ..
The author is trying hard to be objective with the limited resources available
Great effort to relate between biblical scriptures and the cuneiform mud tablets
The author is trying hard to be objective with the limited resources available
Great effort to relate between biblical scriptures and the cuneiform mud tablets
August 26, 2021
Questionably accurate.
August 30, 2021
Fantastisk detaljeret og velskrevet moderne biografi om en af historiens giganter
Dejligt med en moderne og fyldestgørende biografi om Cyrus d.2 af Persien
Dejligt med en moderne og fyldestgørende biografi om Cyrus d.2 af Persien
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews