While the Medea were thus founding a widespread empire, another branch of the Indo-European wanderers was slowly preparing for even greater dominion. The kings who were to lead the new movement are called the Achaemenians or Acbaemenides, and three lists of the chief members of this great family have come down, one upon the cylinder of Cyrus, a second upon the great inscription of Darius at Behistun, and the third in Herodotus (vii. 11). The combination of these three sources is by no means easy, but a fair agreement among modern scholars has been achieved, and the following may be regarded as representing the facts as well as they can be made out at present.
Hakhamanish (Achaemenes) ~ishl rah (Teispes) n usiya (Cambyees) rash (( s i pish Kurash (Cyrus) Ariyiamna (Ariaramnee) Kambiya (Cambysee) Arehama (Areames) Kurlaeh (Cyrus the Great) Vishti hpa (Hystaepea) Kambl rya (Cambyses) Darayavash (Darius)It was no wonder that such a career should have captivated the minds of the Hebrews. In Isa. gl.-xlviii. Cyrus is Yahweh's anointed and to him the exiles were looking for the deliver- ante from Babylonia. In 538 he Testament issued the decree that set the Jews Allusions. free from their trammels and permit- ted the beginning of the rebuilding of national and religious life in Jerusalem.
Cyrus built his capital at PasargadEe, and there also was set his tomb, and in the year 529 his reign, glorious not only in war, but also in peace came to an end, and Cambysea II. (529-521 B.C.) reigned in his stead.
Cambyses began his reign by putting to death his brother Smerdis, and a despotic and mad though brief career began. Though far inferior to
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