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ASTYAGES
Fourth and final king of the Medes (according to an early Greek historian, Herodotus), reigning 35 years until 550 BC. At that time his Persian grandson, Cyrus II, revolted and overthrew Astyages’ kingdom. Supposedly Astyages had been forewarned in a dream about the prowess of a future offspring of his daughter Mandane. To protect himself he married her to Cambyses I, a Persian of royal lineage, because the Persians were weak at that time. To make himself even more secure Astyages arranged to have Cyrus, their son, abandoned in the wilds. But Cyrus was allegedly spared and raised by a cowherd until his true identity was discovered, whereupon he was sent to Persia to live with his royal parents.
With the help of Harpagus, a man greatly wronged by Astyages, Cyrus revolted against his Median grandfather and gained the crown for himself. According to Herodotus, Cyrus then allowed Astyages to live in the royal court without further harming him.
Mention of Astyages in an Apocryphal book (Bel 1:1) gives a somewhat different impression, implying that Cyrus received the kingdom upon the death of Astyages. The statement could be merely popular stereotyped expression rather that an attempt to recount actual historical events. Certain cuneiform inscriptions support Herodotus’s account.
See also Cyrus the Great.