This Ergon is a Literary Analysis of Herodotus’ Histories, 1.205-1.216.
The theme of this excerpt is Cyrus’ campaign against the Massagetai, which, according to Herodotus, was the last expedition Cyrus undertook. The Massagetai were a neighboring people of the expanding Persian empire ruled by Cyrus, who, after conquering Lydia and harnessing the support of Croesus, acquired much land through successful invasions of neighboring territories. With Croesus’ intrigue, Cyrus seized Spargapises, son of Tomyris, the queen of the Massagetai, in the first encounter with the Massagetai army. Although Tomyris asked for the return of her son, Spargapises committed suicide and left Tomyris vow to satiate Cyrus with blood. Before the final battle, Cyrus dreamed of his son Darius becoming the king of Persia and suspected him of intrigue. The next day, after a prolonged and bloody battle, the Persians were defeated and Cyrus was killed. The story ended with Tomyris celebrating her pyrrhic victory by drenching Cyrus’ head in a sack of blood, fulfilling her vengeance.
Herodotus narrated this piece of story in the same tone as the other ones he wrote and maintained his style of prose. He narrated the story without much emotion and highlighted the important turn of events while speeding past supporting details such as how the battle was fought, which can be paraphrased as “they shot arrows, they fought, and the Persians lost.” However, he portrayed Tomyris’ revenge in fine detail, noting how she first filled a sack with blood and then roamed the battlefield to find Cyrus’ corpse. Eventually, she shoved his head into the blood, fulfilling her vow to “satiate Cyrus with blood.” Herodotus most likely did this as an oration, as suggested by Professor Farmer, for these fine details, although captivating, have no evidence support, while the account of the development of events was too simplified to dispel doubts. Furthermore, Herodotus confidently maintained that out of all the accounts of Cyrus’ death, he believed this one to be the most accurate, meaning that he had a clear agenda for telling the story, which logically follows the Greek tragedy style and culminated in the death of the protagonist.
Cyrus began his tragic downfall by misinterpreting the omen like Croesus, for, after dreaming of his son Darius becoming the king of Persia, he suspected him of treason instead of his own death. This misinterpretation indicates Cyrus’ hubris, for he only thought about others being in the wrong instead of himself meeting setbacks. This important omen could have stopped him from advancing and thus saved his life but he chose to ignore it, and his downfall was imminent. Additionally, the bereaved Tomyris vowed to destroy Cyrus—a clear parallel to many characters in Greek tragedies who often succeeded in fulfilling their vows of vengeance. All of these elements culminated in the death of Cyrus, which seemed almost unavoidable and fateful given how detailed Tomyris’ vow was, so it is not surprising that it was fulfilled to every minute detail. The story also gives a morose aftertaste similar to that of Greek tragedies, for Cyrus, an illustrious king who was prophesied to be great, possessed great wisdom and noble characters, and was almost invincible in battle, perished under a woman and was buried among the dust, meeting an end that does not befit a great king.
Herodotus told the story by blending an epic narrative with strong imagery. He combined elements such as an omen, fierce battles, and the fall of a great king in a short story to portray a grand scene, leaving the audience in awe after listening to it. Given that the audience might have also read the long narrative of Cyrus’ adventures and accomplishments, the abrupt downfall of Cyrus must have seemed even more tragic and unexpected. Herodotus portrayal of Tomyris’ vengeance in fine detail created a bloody image of the king’s violent death, sending shocks into the audience’s hearts by reminding them that even a great man like Cyrus can not escape the punishment of hubris, and his fate.
