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King of the World

The Life of Cyrus the Great

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King of the World

By: Matt Waters
Narrated by: Michael Page
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About this listen

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.

©2022 Oxford University Press (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Civilisation Greece Ancient History Ancient Greece Royalty

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Difficult to follow, not for the lay listener

struggled to finish. author tried to use any available historical tidbit on Cyrus to recreate a story.

he does the best possible job with the info available but unfortunately spends way too long on lineages and what didn't happen to Cyrus as opposed to the recreation itself.

I'm No history buff so I assume this is because I need more general knowledge of the era, so not saying the book is bad. just saying it's not for everyone. there is a significant amount of assumed knowledge of the era he lived in and the relative situation and geopolitical landscape.

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