'What age were you when the Mede came?' Cyrus the Great and Western Anatolia

Abstract

At some point in the 540s bc Cyrus the Great conquered Sardis and ordered the Greek cities of Asia Minor to be brought into subjection. The main sources for Cyrus’ conquest of western Anatolia have normally been the Greek narrative traditions and the Babylonian chronicles. In recent years, both have shown to be problematic. By pushing back on these sources, and by bringing in fresh forms of evidence, it will be argued that it is possible to draw a significantly more nuanced picture of Cyrus’ imperial vision that balanced military conquest with the needs for stability, security and economic prosperity.