Cyrus And Cyrus: Great Leaders

The first characteristic of a great leader is being loved by their people. By way of example Jane Simmons wrote “ an aggressive military leader, he was feared but also admired by people in other land.” Sulieman scared the people that he needed to scare but he was admired by the people he helped. Also in Amit carters queen Elizabeth I summary it says “she was thought of as a good and wise ruler who was truly thought of as a good ruler

In the mid-first millennium BCE, numerous groups arose, each with a different set of perspectives, worldviews, and attitudes: the Israelites, the Phoenicians, Neo-Assyrians, Persians and Greeks, and so on. For the Jews, they were held captive in Babylon, later returned to Jerusalem by Cyrus, the King of the Persians. Therefore, according to the first article, Cyrus was welcome within their society. These people were extremely religious, especially in regards to Marduk, and they all felt the need to help build their temple in Jerusalem. Everyone wanted to help for their beliefs and God, and gave gifts, money, and resources. “Even the Greeks, who later defeated the Persians, saw Cyrus as a model ruler” (textbook 132). Even more so, according to the Persian Customs article, most of the clans were made by Cyrus, and the rest, nomad tribes, heavily depended on Cyrus’ tribes.

Cyrus the Great and King Ashoka were successful rulers because they both developed laws to protect their kingdom, valued their citizen’s rights and religions, and had a strong military. While they both had a thriving empire, they developed them in different ways. In order to be a good ruler, he must be liked by your subjects. Cyrus the Great as well as King Ashoka had strong leadership skills that enabled them to lead their people with confidence and power. They both wanted their kingdom to grow continuously. Historians today often refer to Cyrus the Great and King Ashoka as the most powerful rulers of their time.

Cyrus had set himself apart from other rulers by compromising with his empire rather than forcing his entire will on them. He accomplished this by allowing people that had been moved from their homeland to return, most notably allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar had them exiled and held captive in Babylon.⁴ On top of them returning, Cyrus also encouraged them to rebuild their temple, which was also one of his finer qualities.

What truly makes a great leader? Someone with concern for others, leadership in the most direst of situations, determination in battle, and remarkable achievements. Alexander III had all of these traits to be classified as a great leader. The mark he made was one of determination that led him to expand his empire over 3,000 miles in only fifteen years. Alexander was great because of his remarkable achievements, extraordinary concern for others, and unmatchable determination.

In The Education of Cyrus, Xenophon addresses a critical query immediately in questioning how one can rule over human beings without opposition or revolt. Xenophon initially reasons that no regime can effectively do that, but after seeing the education and life of Cyrus, he argues that ruling all others without revolution is not only plausible, but “not even difficult if done with knowledge.” Through his education and virtues, Cyrus acquired the knowledge to not only be a successful king, but rule over the entire known world, effectively proving to Xenophon that it is possible to rule over all human beings successfully. Cyrus was more than a king, but rather the founder of an

The Achaemenid Empire, which arose in 550 B.C.E. and declined in 330 B.C.E., is considered the first Persian Empire. This empire expanded its rule across Asia, Africa and Europe unifying tribes and cultures by establishing networks of complex roads. The Achaemenid dynasty had fourteen rulers. There were two major influential emperors, Cyrus II the Great and Darius I the Great, who left a large impact on the empire and other empires to come. The demise of the Achaemenid Empire is due to the rise of Alexander of Macedon, also known as Alexander the Great, and his victorious battles against the Achaemenid forces.

Built-in qualities such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a good leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership qualities. In order to excel in their leadership a good leader must possess qualities such as self awareness, courage, confidence, innovation, fairness, openness, and dedication among others. Odysseus in The Odyssey, and Samuel, Saul and David in the Books of Samuel, display these characters. However, at some occasions they fail to do so. That is to say, leaders, being it great or small, chosen by God or people, are not completely perfect.

In the 21st century a good leader is someone who is courageous, understanding, selfless, fights for other and not themselves and not a person who has a big ego. Throughout history the meaning or definition of a good leader has changed much. In the Anglo – Saxon time period, Beowulf, was considered to be a great leader and a hero according to his people, for risking his life and saving them from evil monsters. But in today’s world and lifestyle and how much things and times have changed, Beowulf would not be considered to be a good leader or a hero.

Cyrus was aware of the importance of offering freedom to his people. He gave people freedom of worship, expression and promoted various races in the community. People viewed him as a helper rather than a ruler; he ordered the return of deported people from the Babylonian land this way improving on their

Cyrus II, commonly referred to as Cyrus The Great, was the king of Persia. Although the exact birth of Cyrus is unknown to us, historians have been able to narrow it down to some here between 600 and 580 BCE . Cyrus is renowned for being one of the greatest historical conquerors who in his lifetime-conquered everywhere from Lydia and Babylonia to the Greek cities of Asia Minor . However in many historical ancient texts, such as the works of Xenophanes and a number of sacred Jewish texts, Cyrus is often described as a ‘liberator’ as apposed to a conqueror . Cyrus was very tolerant ruler and accepting of all local religious faiths, because of this he expected his subjects to do the same. Cyrus the Great has remained throughout history as one of the most tolerant and politically influential leaders from ancient civilisation, after establishing the first human rights charter containing values still relevant today.

He wads able to push past the barriers of being scared and the feeling that no one would listen to him. He was able to lead the people and gain their trust from the Lord’s word. Some would say that Moses is a hero because he split the Red Sea and led the Israelites to freedom. Moses had his doubts and fears when he is asked to do the job of the Lord intended in him to do. Good leadership is the ability to bring people to peace.

What makes a great leader? Cyrus seems to be the perfect leader – he pays attention to his citizens, leads his nation to military success, and imbues the Persian society with morals and equality. Yet, Cyrus also has his weaknesses, failing to make lasting friendships and secure a promising future for his Empire after he is gone. Therefore, I will argue that Xenophon uses the life of Cyrus to show how to be a perfect public official – and how being a charismatic public official does not mean you are a good ruler and leader.

Cyrus gains his knowledge of how to rule over human beings from several different sources from his early years. His first teacher was the justice school in Persia, second his experience with his grandfather in Media, and finally, and possibly his most important teacher, his father. First, as a boy, Cyrus learned about justice in Persia, where justice is the law. The boys in the school lean to “take vengeance on whomever they resolve to have done any of these injustices”, and they also lean “moderation” as well as “continence in food and drink” (1.2.6-8). Cyrus takes these Persian ideas and applies them to himself, then his army, and later his empire.

When he overthrew the king he won the hearts of the Hebrew people by claiming he was chosen by their God to set them free. This event is in the book of Isahia. “ Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him.”