This classic portrait of the ancient Persian king is “still the best book on leadership” (Peter F. Drucker). Cyrus, a great Persian leader, was so widely and memorably respected that a hundred years later, Xenophon of Athens wrote this admiring book about the greatest leader of his era. Among his many achievements, this great leader of wisdom and virtue founded and extended the Persian Empire; conquered Babylon; freed 40,000 Jews from captivity; wrote mankind’s first human rights charter; and ruled over those he had conquered with respect and benevolence. According to historian Will Durant, Cyrus the Great’s military enemies knew that he was lenient, and they did not fight him with that desperate courage which men show when their only choice is “to kill or die.” As a result the Iranians regarded him as “The Father,” the Babylonians as “The Liberator,” the Greeks as the “Law-Giver,” and the Jews as the “Anointed of the Lord.” By freshening the leader’s voice, style, and diction, Larry Hedrick has created a more contemporary Cyrus, and also contributes an introduction describing him and his times. A new generation of readers, including business executives and managers, military officers, and government officials, can now learn about and benefit from Cyrus the Great’s extraordinary achievements, which exceeded all other leaders’ throughout antiquity.
Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century bce. By conquest or gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries, leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several generations, wrote: "Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before or since." The vision of the biblical prophet known as Second Isaiah anticipates Cyrus' repatriation of Jews living in exile in Babylon with these words of the Lord: "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please." Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the written word and kept no annals. The most complete accounts of his life were composed by Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms - among them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands, and the always tricky stuff of legend. Given these challenges, Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World is a remarkable feat of portraiture. In his vast sweep, Reza Zarghamee draws on sources of every kind, painstakingly assembling detail, and always weighing evidence carefully where contradictions arise. He describes the background of the Persian people, the turbulence of the times, and the roots of Cyrus' policies. His account of the imperial era itself delves into religion, military methods, commerce, court life, and much else besides. The result is a living, breathing Cyrus standing atop a distant world that played a key role in shaping our own.
Cyrus the GreatCyrus II of Persia was one of the greatest leaders that the world had ever known; he was the one in whose footsteps other empire builders would follow. From Alexander the Great to countless Roman emperors and Ottoman sultans-it was the mighty shoes of Cyrus that they all attempted to fill. Inside you will read about...✓ Early Life and Legend ✓ The Persian Empire is Born ✓ Love and Marriage ✓ Cyrus' Last Stand ✓ Aftermath and Succession And much more! More than merely a successful conqueror, Cyrus the Great is known just as much for being a great liberator as he is known for his conquests. He was even credited in the Bible as the one who freed the Jews from their long-held Babylonian exile. By the time of his death, Cyrus controlled more land and people than anyone before him. Under his dominion were countless principalities, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions of all kinds. In contrast to many other powerful rulers, Cyrus did not seek to oppress his subjects or interfere with their way of life, religions, or local customs. It is for this reason that, as great as his temporal conquests may have been, the benevolence of Cyrus the Great's leadership stands as his greatest attribute of all. The life of Cyrus the Great remains as an unparalleled testament in the annals of history.
Cyrus the Great was a brilliant general who founded the Persian Empire, greatest empire of its day. He was also the king who freed the Jews from exile at Babylon and allowed them to return to Jerusalem, with the Bible describing him as the only non Jew "anointed by god." Cyrus influenced the US Bill of Rights, and is the biblical figure to whom US President Donald Trump has been favorably compared by Christian evangelicals and the Prime Minister of Israel. In this first ever modern biography of Cyrus, noted historical biographer and author of 43 books Stephen Dando-Collins describes Cyrus' fraught youth, his rise to power via rebellion, his dashing military campaigns that destroyed the Median, Lydian and Babylonian empires, and his uniquely magnanimous reign. With his usual depth of research and highly readable narrative Dando-Collins cuts through myth and folklore to deliver a fascinating account of a fascinating life.
The Greeks called him Cyrus, the Elder, due to his magnanimous efforts to bring the Middle East together and establish a solid administration and bureaucracy. To this day, he still inspires us thanks to his tolerance and eloquent ruling. He was a pioneer of human rights and laid out rules that spearheaded freedom and equality. Cyrus was recognized as a polytheist who favored worshipping many gods at a time. He turned from one god to another, according to his agenda and circumstances. He prayed to a god who could fulfill his desire and lead him to victory, which was noted during his rule in Babylonia. The former Babylonian ruler did not allow his people to worship their god and imposed hard labor, making life unbearable for thousands, but when Cyrus overtook the throne, he allowed Babylonia's people to follow their religion and worship their god, which increased their trust and admiration in Cyrus.
A "stunning" (Hanif Abdurraqib), "unputdownable" (Mary Karr) meditation on queerness, family, and desire. How do you know if you are transgender? How do you know if what you want and feel is real? How do you know whether to believe yourself? Cyrus Dunham’s life always felt like a series of imitations—lovable little girl, daughter, sister, young gay woman. But in a culture of relentless self-branding, and in a family subject to the intrusions and objectifications that attend fame, dissociation can come to feel normal. A Lambda Literary Award finalist, Dunham’s fearless, searching debut brings us inside the chrysalis of a transition inflected as much by whiteness and proximity to wealth as by gender, asking us to bear witness to an uncertain and exhilarating process that troubles our most basic assumptions about identity. Written with disarming emotional intensity in a voice uniquely his, A Year Without a Name is a potent, thrillingly unresolved meditation on queerness, family, and selfhood. Named a Most Anticipated Book of the season by: Time NYLON Vogue ELLE Buzzfeed Bustle O Magazine Harper's Bazaar