could command, he marched forth to a great plain just without the city,
to meet Cyrus.
The Lydian army was superior to that of Cyrus in cavalry, and upon
this plain they would have a much greater advantage. To avoid this,
Cyrus ordered all his large train of camels, which had been employed as
beasts of burden, to be drawn up in line in front of his army, each one
having a soldier upon his back, armed with a spear.
It is said that horses cannot endure the sight or smell of a camel; and
when the two armies met, the cavalry of Crœsus, riding furiously to the
attack, were confronted by the line of huge, awkward camels, with their
soldier riders. The horses were so frightened by the spectacle, that
they turned and fled in dismay, trampling down their own forces, and
causing complete confusion in the Lydian army. The army of Crœsus was
totally defeated, and they fled into the city of Sardis and entrenched
themselves there.
Cyrus now besieged the city for fourteen days, endeavoring to find
some place to scale the walls which surrounded it. One part of the
wall passed over rocky precipices which were considered impassable.
At length one of the soldiers of Cyrus, named Hyræades, observed
one of the sentinels, who was stationed on the wall overlooking the
precipice, leave his post, and come partway down the rocks to get his
helmet, which had dropped down. Hyræades reported this incident to
Cyrus, and so an attempt was made to scale the walls at that point. It
was successful, and thus the city was taken. It is reported that in
the confusion and noise of storming the city the life of Crœsus was
saved by the miraculous speaking of his deaf-and-dumb son. Cyrus had
commanded his soldiers not to kill Crœsus, but that they should take
him alive, and he should then be brought to him. As Crœsus was escaping
with his son a party of Persian soldiers took him prisoner, and were
about to kill him, not knowing who he was, when the dumb boy cried out,—
“It is Crœsus; do not kill him!”
Cyrus had not ordered Crœsus to be spared from any motives of kindness;
but that he himself might determine his fate.
He commanded Crœsus to be put in chains, and a huge funeral pile to be
built in a public square, and Crœsus and fourteen of the young Lydian
nobles were placed upon the pile.
Just as the torch was applied, Crœsus cried out in a tone of anguish
and despair,—
“Oh, Solon! Solon! Solon!”
The officers who had charge of the execution asked him what he meant,
and Cyrus, also hearing him, and being desirous of receiving an
explanation of his mysterious words, commanded the fires to be put out,
and ordered Crœsus to be unbound and to be brought to him. Cyrus now
treated Crœsus with much kindness.
[Illustration: PERSIAN SUBJECTS BRINGING TRIBUTE.]
Crœsus was very much incensed against the oracle at Delphi for having
deceived him by false predictions; but the priests of the oracle
replied that the destruction of the Lydian dynasty had long been
decreed by fate on account of the guilt of Gyges, the founder of the
line, who had murdered the rightful monarch, and usurped the crown.
The oracles had foretold that a mighty empire would be overthrown, and
Crœsus had wrongly imagined that it referred to the destruction of the
kingdom of Cyrus. As to the other prediction made by the oracle, that
when he should find a mule upon the throne of Media, he would lose his
own, this had been fulfilled, as Cyrus, who was descended from the
Persians on his father’s side, and from the Medians on his mother’s,
had thus become a hybrid sovereign, represented by the mule.
In his advance towards the dominions of Crœsus in Asia Minor, Cyrus had
passed to the northward of the great and celebrated city of Babylon.
He had now conquered all the nations from the Ægean Sea to the river
Euphrates. He then subdued Syria and Arabia. After this he entered into
Assyria and advanced towards Babylon, the only large city of the East
yet unsubdued.
The taking of Babylon is one of the greatest events in ancient history,
and the principal circumstances with which it was attended were
foretold in the Bible many years before it happened. Babylon, at this
time, was the most magnificent city in the world. It was situated in
a large plain, and was surrounded by walls which were eighty-seven
feet thick, three hundred and fifty feet high, and sixty miles in
circumference. These walls were in the form of a square, each side of
which was fifteen miles long. They were built of large bricks cemented
together with bitumen, which bound bricks so firmly together that the
mortar soon became harder than the bricks themselves. This wall was
surrounded by a deep, wide trench filled with water. The great wall of
Babylon contained 200,000,000 yards of solid masonry, or nearly twice
the cubic contents of the famous wall of China. Each of the bricks
was stamped with the name of Nebuchadnezzar. The wall was so wide
that four chariots could move abreast upon its summit. Two hundred
and fifty towers, each ten feet higher than the walls, rose above
the parapet. One hundred gates of brass opened to as many streets.
Each of the fifty streets was fifteen miles long, and one hundred and
forty feet broad, crossing each other at right angles; these avenues
divided the city into six hundred and seventy-six squares, each being
two and a half miles in circuit. The buildings were erected around
these squares with an open court in the centre, containing beautiful
gardens and fountains. The river Euphrates flowed through the city, and
was spanned by a bridge, five hundred feet long and thirty feet wide.
Above the bridge rose an obelisk one hundred and twenty-five feet high.
As the melting of the snows upon the mountains of Armenia caused the
river Euphrates to overflow its banks in the months of June, July, and
August, two artificial canals were cut, some distance above the city,
which turned the course of these waters into the Tigris before they
reached Babylon. To keep the river within its channel, they raised
immense artificial banks on both sides, built with bricks cemented with
bitumen. In making these works it was necessary to turn the course of
the river another way. For this purpose a prodigious artificial lake
was dug, forty miles square, one hundred and sixty in circumference,
and thirty-five feet deep.
[Illustration: CHART OF THE COUNTRY AROUND BABYLON.]
Into this lake the whole river was turned by an artificial canal, cut
from the west side of it, until the entire work was finished, when
the river was allowed to flow into its former channel. This lake was
kept, however, as a reservoir, as a means of irrigating the surrounding
fields.
Along the banks of the river were the famous Hanging Gardens, where the
many terraces bloomed with brilliant flowers, and were shaded by groves
of trees, and cooled by fountains of sparkling water. These beautiful
gardens, which were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World,
were constructed by Nebuchadnezzar to please his wife Amytis, whose
native land was Media, as she was the daughter of Astyages.
Surrounded by a triple wall, and guarded by gates of brass, rose the
magnificent royal palace, whose walls were adorned by pictures of
the chase, and martial and festive processions, and whose apartments
were furnished with the rich carpets of Persia, the costly fabrics of
Damascus, and the jewels of Bokhara.
Rising above all the other structures was the lofty Tower of Belus,
or Babel. The tower was six hundred feet high, and was crowned with
a statue of Belus, forty feet high, made of pure gold, which shone
resplendent in the sunlight, or gleamed with matchless beauty in the
soft moonlight. It is said that this tower far exceeded the greatest
pyramid of Egypt in height. The ascent to the top was by stairs round
the outside of it; and as the tower proper was composed of eight
stories, each decreasing gradually in size, the entire tower formed
a pyramid. In the different stories were many rooms, which were
richly adorned with tables, censers, cups, and other sacred vessels of
massive gold. Diodorus, one of the ancient historians, estimates the
value of the riches contained in this temple to amount to $93,240,000.
This temple stood in the time of Xerxes, but on his return from his
Grecian expedition, he entirely destroyed it, having plundered it of
all its immense treasures. Alexander the Great purposed to rebuild
it, and employed ten thousand men to remove the rubbish which had
accumulated around it, but after they had labored two months, Alexander
died, and that put an end to the undertaking.
Belshazzar gave a great feast in his palace to all his chief officers
and nobles, even though Cyrus the Great was then besieging Babylon.
It was during this impious feast, after Belshazzar had commanded that
the sacred vessels, which had been taken from the Temple of Jehovah in
Jerusalem, should be desecrated by being used by his drunken guests
as wine-goblets, that the marvellous writing appeared upon his palace
wall, and the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” were traced in
letters of fire by a mysterious hand. Belshazzar was aroused from his
drunken carousal and filled with terror on account of the strange omen.
None of his magicians could interpret its meaning. At last his mother,
Queen Nitocris, remembered the old prophet Daniel, and his previous
wonderful interpretations for Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel, being summoned,
declared that it predicted the destruction of his kingdom, which should
be divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Swiftly, indeed, did the dread catastrophe overtake the wicked king.
Cyrus had caused great ditches to be dug on both sides of the city,
above and below, so that the water of the river Euphrates might run
into them. That very night he caused those great receptacles to be
opened; and while Belshazzar and his drunken army were carousing in
mad revellings, the channel of the river was emptied, and the hostile
forces marched into the dry channel in two bodies of troops; one
entering above the city, and one below. A guide who had promised to
open all the gates to Cyrus left open the gates of brass which were
made to shut up the descents from the quays to the river.
[Illustration: SUPPOSED PLAN OF ANCIENT BABYLON.]
Thus the army of Cyrus was enabled to penetrate into the very heart
of the city without opposition. Arriving at the royal palace, they
surprised the guards and killed them. Then rushing into the palace, and
meeting the king, who had seized a sword, and stood in the midst of his
frightened and helpless guests, the soldiers of Cyrus killed Belshazzar.
Cyrus, having entered the city, put all to the sword who were found
in the streets. He then commanded the citizens to bring him all their
arms, and afterwards to shut themselves up in their houses. Early the
next morning, the garrison which kept the citadel, learning that the
city had been taken, and their king killed, surrendered themselves
to Cyrus. Thus did this prince, almost without striking a blow, find
himself in possession of the strongest place in the world.
In the first year after Cyrus conquered Babylon, he published the
famous edict permitting the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Cyrus at the
same time restored to the Jews all the vessels of the temple of the
Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem, and placed in
the temple of his god Belus, or Baal.
After this conquest, Cyrus established his residence in the midst of
the countries within his vast dominions. He spent seven months of
the year at Babylon in the winter season, because of the warmth of
that climate; three months at Susa in the spring; and two months at
Ecbatana, during the heat of summer.
There is an interesting story, told by Xenophon, of a princess, named
Panthea, in connection with the expedition of Cyrus against the
Assyrians. Among the prisoners of war taken by his army was a very
beautiful princess, Panthea, the wife of Abradates, king of Susiana.
Her husband was an Assyrian general, though he himself was not captured
at this time with his wife. Cyrus committed this princess to the care
of one of his young nobles, named Araspes. This nobleman fell in love
with Panthea, and ventured to express to her his admiration for her.
She was offended; and when Araspes continued his declarations of
love, she complained to Cyrus. Cyrus severely reproved his officer
for proving unworthy of the trust reposed in him. Araspes, mortified
and repentant, was overwhelmed with fear and remorse. Cyrus, hearing
of this, sent for Araspes, and instead of upbraiding him, sent him
upon a trusty and difficult mission as a spy among the Assyrians. The
loss of so brave an officer, who was supposed to have gone over to the
enemy, greatly affected the army. Panthea, who imagined that she had
been the cause of this loss to Cyrus, told him that she would supply
the place of Araspes with an officer of equal merit. Accordingly, she
sent for her husband Abradates. Upon his arrival, she told him of the
kindness and consideration with which she had been treated by Cyrus,
the generous conqueror.
“And how,” said Abradates, “shall I be able to acknowledge so important
a service?”
[Illustration: BABYLONIAN KING.]
“By behaving towards him as he has done towards me,” replied Panthea.
Whereupon, Abradates immediately expressed his gratitude to Cyrus, and
offered to espouse his cause as his faithful ally. Cyrus received him
with a noble and courteous manner and accepted his offer. Abradates
then fitted up for Cyrus one hundred chariots at his own expense,
and provided horses to draw them, from his own troop. These armed
chariots were a very expensive sort of force. The carriages were heavy
and strong and were usually drawn by two horses. They had short,
scythe-like blades of steel projecting from the axletrees on each side,
by which the ranks of the enemy were mowed down when the chariots
were driven among them. Each chariot could hold one or more warriors
beside the driver of the horses. The warriors stood on the floor of
the carriage, and fought with javelins and spears. Abradates made
one chariot much larger than the rest for himself, as he intended to
command this corps of chariots.
His wife Panthea took much interest in these preparations, and
unknown to Abradates, she furnished from her own treasures a helmet,
a corselet, and arm-pieces of gold for her husband. She also provided
breast-pieces and side-pieces for the horses. When the day arrived
for Abradates to go into battle with his chariot corps, Panthea
presented her munificent gifts to him, which were most royal. Besides
the defences of gold, there were other articles for ornament. There
was a purple robe, a violet crest for the helmet, waving plumes, and
costly bracelets. Abradates was greatly astonished, and exclaimed with
surprise and pleasure,—
“And so to provide me with this splendid armor and dress, you have been
depriving yourself of all your finest and most beautiful ornaments!”
“No,” lovingly replied Panthea; “you are yourself my finest ornament,
if you appear in the eyes of others as you do in mine; and I have not
deprived myself of you.”
There were many spectators present to see Abradates mount in his
gorgeous chariot and drive away; but the attention of the beholders was
centred upon the exquisite beauty of Panthea, as she stood by the side
of his chariot to bid adieu to her husband. This was their last parting.
As Panthea turned away from the royal train, her husband waved her a
fond farewell.
On the field of battle Abradates displayed heroic courage. His chariot
was observed by Cyrus, in the thickest of the fight, rushing fearlessly
into the places of the greatest danger.
The victory was gained by Cyrus; but Abradates was killed in his
chariot; and when Cyrus inquired about him, it was reported that
Panthea was then attending to the interment of the body on the banks of
a river which flowed near the field of battle.
Cyrus immediately went to the spot, where Panthea sat weeping over the
remains of her beloved husband. Cyrus leaped from his horse, and knelt
beside the corpse, exclaiming,—
“Alas! thou brave and faithful soul, and art thou gone?”
Cyrus said what he could to console Panthea; but she was unconsolable.
He gave directions that everything should be furnished for her comfort.
Panthea thanked him for his kindness.
After Cyrus had left her, Panthea sent away all her servants but her
waiting-maid, saying that she wished to be alone with the dead body of
her husband. She then drew forth a small dagger, which she had kept
concealed beneath her robe; and telling her maid to envelop her dead
body in the same mantle with her husband, and to have them buried
together in the same grave, she pierced her heart with the weapon
before her affrighted servant could prevent the fatal wound. Abradates
and Panthea were buried together in one grave, as the heart-broken
wife had requested, over which Cyrus erected a lofty monument to their
memory.
Cyrus, finding himself master of all the East by the taking of Babylon,
did not imitate the example of most other conquerors, who sully the
glory of their victories by their cruelties and wicked lives. Cyrus
is justly considered one of the wisest conquerors and one of the most
accomplished of the princes to be found in profane history. He was
possessed of all the qualities necessary to make a great man. Cicero
observes, that during the entire time of the rule of Cyrus he was never
heard to speak one rough or angry word.
Cyrus, according to his belief, was very religious. He was, to be sure,
a pagan; but he reverenced sacred things, and as his deliverance of the
Jews showed, he acknowledged the power of Jehovah, even though we have
no account of his complete conversion from idolatry. But his devotion
to what he held to be religion is an example for the worshippers of the
one true God.
Cyrus, having established himself in the midst of his wide kingdom,
with his chief residence at Babylon, resolved to appear before the
people in an august religious ceremony, by marching in a grand
cavalcade to the places consecrated to the gods, in order to offer
sacrifices to them. He ordered the superior officers of the Persians
and allies to attend him; and he presented each one with a suit of
clothes of the Median fashion. These were long garments, of various
colors, of the finest and brightest dyes, richly embroidered with
gold and silver. One of the historians gives this description of this
gorgeous pageant.
[Illustration: PERSIAN CHARIOT.]
[Illustration: TOMB OF CYRUS.]
“When the time appointed for the ceremony was come, the whole company
assembled at the king’s palace by break of day. Four thousand of the
guards, drawn up four deep, placed themselves in front of the palace,
and two thousand on the two sides of it, ranged in the same order. All
the cavalry were also drawn out, the Persians on the right, and that
of the allies on the left. The chariots of war were ranged half on one
side and half on the other. As soon as the palace gates were opened,
a great number of bulls of exquisite beauty were led out, by four and
four. These were to be sacrificed to Jupiter and other gods, according
to the ceremonies prescribed by the Magi. Next followed the horses
that were to be sacrificed to the sun. Immediately after them a white
chariot, crowned with flowers, the pole of which was gilt; this was to
be offered to Jupiter. Then came a second chariot of the same color,
and adorned in the same manner, to be offered to the sun. After these
followed a third, the horses of which were caparisoned with scarlet
housings. Behind came the men who carried the sacred fire in a large
hearth.
“When all these were on the march, Cyrus himself made his appearance
upon his car, with his upright tiara upon his head, encircled with the
royal diadem. His under-tunic was of purple mixed with white, which
was a color peculiar to kings; over his other garments he wore a large
purple cloak. His hands were uncovered. A little below him sat the
master of the horse, who was of a comely stature, but not so tall as
Cyrus, for which reason the stature of the latter appeared still more
advantageously.
“As soon as the people perceived the prince, they all fell prostrate
before him and worshipped him; whether it was that certain persons
appointed on purpose, and placed at proper distances, led others
by their example, or that the people were moved to do it of their
own accord, being struck by the appearance of so much pomp and
magnificence, and with so many awful circumstances of majesty and
splendor.
“The Persians had never prostrated themselves in this manner before
Cyrus till on this occasion. When Cyrus’ chariot was come out of the
palace, the four thousand guards began to march; the other two thousand
moved at the same time, and placed themselves on each side of the
chariot.
“The eunuchs, or great officers of the king’s household, to the number
of three hundred, richly clad, with javelins in their hands and mounted
upon stately horses, marched immediately after the chariot. After
them were led two hundred horses of the king’s stable, each of them
having embroidered furniture and bits of gold. Next came the Persian
cavalry divided into four bodies, each consisting of ten thousand men;
then the Median horse, and after those the cavalry of the allies. The
chariots of war, four abreast, brought up the rear and closed the
procession. When they came to the fields consecrated to the gods, they
offered their sacrifices first to Jupiter and then to the sun. To the
honor of the first, bulls were burnt, and to the honor of the second,
horses. They likewise sacrificed some victims to the earth, according
to the appointment of the Magi; then to the demigods, the patrons and
protectors of Syria. In order to amuse the people after this grave and
solemn ceremony, Cyrus thought fit that it should conclude with games
and horse and chariot races.
“The place chosen for them was large and spacious. He ordered a certain
portion of it to be marked out, and proposed prizes for the victors of
each nation, which were to encounter separately and among themselves.
He himself won the prize in the Persian horse-races, for nobody was
so complete a horseman as he. The chariots ran but two at a time, one
against another. Some days after, Cyrus, to celebrate the victory he
had obtained in the horse-races, gave a great entertainment to all
his chief officers, as well strangers as Medes and Persians. They had
never yet seen anything of the kind so sumptuous and magnificent. At
the conclusion of the feast he made every one a noble present, so
that they all went home with hearts overflowing with joy, admiration,
and gratitude; and all-powerful as he was, master of all the East and
so many kingdoms, he did not think it descending from his majesty to
conduct the whole company to the door of his apartment.
“Such were the manners and behavior of those ancient times, when men
understood how to unite great simplicity with the highest degree of
human grandeur.”