THE MEDIAN AND THE CYROPAEDIA OF XENOPHON. 25 



* 0 Cyrus, also this woman herself, being my own daughter ; 

 and your father married my father's daughter, of whom you 

 were born. But this is she whom you often as a boy, when you 

 were with us, used to nurse. And whenever anyone would 

 ask her to whom would she be married, she used always to 

 say, that it would be to Cyrus. And I give to her also as 

 a dowry the whole of Media ; for I have not a legitimate male 

 child.' He spoke thus, but Cyrus answered, ' Well, 0 Cyaxares, 

 I appreciate both her birth, and the damsel, and the gifts ; but 

 I wish,' he said, ' to come to agreement with you in regard to 

 these things with the consent of my father and my mother.' " 

 Thus spoke Cyrus, but he made presents to the damsel of all 

 such things as he thought would also gratify Cyaxares. And 

 having done these things he went on to Persia. Then Xenophon 

 relates how he paid a visit to his father Cambyses, King of 

 Persia, who, in the course of a speech which he made in presence 

 of his son to the nobles of Persia, mentioned as a matter of course 

 that after his death Cyrus would be King of Persia. But when 

 Cyrus, departing from Persia, arrived in Media — since his father 

 and mother had given their approval of the match — he married 

 Cyaxares' daughter ; of whom even still, the story goes, says 

 Xenophon, that she was of perfect beauty. 



The absence of Cyrus from Babylon at this time in the first 

 year of his reign seems to receive confirmation from the dating 

 of the following contract tablets. I think it is now generally 

 conceded that it was on the night of the 11th Marcheswan that 

 Babylon fell ; and consequently at that date the accession year 

 of the reign of Cyrus commenced. There are tablets dated as 

 follows : — 



Accession year of Cyrus 24th Marcheswan (Oct.-Nov.). 

 Accession year of Cyrus 7th Chisleu (Nov.-Dec). 

 Year 1st of the King's reign began on 1st Nisan (21st Mar.- 

 20th ApL). 



Dating of Tablets. 



First year 7th Nisan (Mar.-Apl.) Cyrus King of Countries. 

 First year Tammuz (June- July) Cambyses King of Babylon, 



at that time Cyrus his father King of Countries. 

 First year Tisri (Sept. -Oct.) Cyrus King of Babylon, King 



of Countries. 



First year Tebet (Dec-Jan.) Cyrus King of Babylon. 



