THE MEDIAN AND THE CYROPAEDIA OF XENOPHON. 5 



paper — in the Age of Cyrus, when the Kingdom of Media, in 

 close union with Persia, was still a living thing, has the form 

 " Medes and Persians " ; whilst the Book of Esther, written 

 in later times, after the reign of Xerxes, when the supremacy 

 of the Persians had overshadowed the Medes — has the form 

 " Persians and Medes." Yet there is one passage in the Book of 

 Esther in which what seems to be the more ancient style is used, 

 and that is in the last chapter of the Book, where the chronicles 

 of the united empire are in question — chronicles going back 

 no doubt to the older time, and here the expression is in the 

 reverse order — " are they not written in the book of the 

 Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia ? " (Esth. x, 2). 



When the Medes and Persians come before us after the over- 

 throw of the Babylonian Empire, we find them standing in a very 

 peculiar position towards each other— almost on terms of equality, 

 and yet the Persians somewhat superior to the Medes, owing, 

 it would seem, chiefly to the pre-eminent genius and personality 

 of Cyrus. How did this rather anomalous state of things come 

 about ? Three different accounts have come down to us from 

 the Greek classical authors. 



There is the account of Ctesias, as preserved in a fragment of 

 Nicolaus of Damascus, according to which Cyrus was the son of a 

 robber, named Atradates, whilst his mother, who was named 

 Argoste, made her living by keeping goats. Cyrus, according to 

 this story, after serving in various menial capacities in the 

 household of Astyages, King of Media, became eventually his 

 cup-bearer. Having been sent on some expedition or other by 

 Astyages, he treacherously turned the occasion into an oppor- 

 tunity of stirring up the Persians — who in the story are supposed 

 to have been subject to the Medes — to rise in revolt. Astyages 

 marched against the rebels ; but the final battle that was fought 

 ended in a decisive victory for the Persians ; no less than 60,000 

 Medes having been slain. In the rout which ensued, the King 

 of the Medes was taken prisoner, and Cyrus was saluted by 

 the victorious army, King of Media and Persia. 



But, surely, in face of the Cuneiform Inscriptions which have 

 placed on record the royal descent and kingly ancestors of Cyrus, 

 this story of a Cyrus — son of a robber and a goat-herd — himself 

 a menial in the household of Astyages, need not really detain us 

 for a moment. And with this absolute ignorance on the part 

 of Ctesias as to Cyrus being a royal prince, the whole story. 



