King of the World Audiobook By Matt Waters cover art

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
Civilization Greece Ancient History
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Accessibile and informative

The author does a great job outlining the historical narrative of Cyrus while interspersing commentary about what we do and do not know based on available evidence. As a non-historian interested in Achaemenid/Iranian history, I found this to be very informative and exciting as it allowed me to reconsider/contextualize things I had already read elsewhere.

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