
We often hear different nations call men who followed their ambitions for power, fame and wealth “The Great”!

P.S. I don’t know when exactly these maps were made but I think the description on the statue of King Darius I made by the Egyptians in 6-5th century BC and discovered in Susa(Iran) in 1972 gives a better picture of all 24 nations that were part of the Persian Empire at the time. List of subject countries on the base of the statue.
People who are called the Great and why?
Alexander of Macedonia (as he is known among Persians/Iranians throughout history) is one of the most famous people with “the Great” glued to his name, but why?
Because he managed to invade the mighty Persian Empire!
Obviously, Alexander has never been great to Persians with all the destruction he did to their people and country. Furthermore, if this is the only reason for his greatness then there is a long list of Persian kings before him whose greatness is out of the question.
Following the same trend, other nations also started to set their values for greatness quite wrongly. So we ended up having a long list of blood-thirsty invaders who are called great conquerors throughout history.
Who is the Greatest?
Standards have clearly changed over years. We now know that those who fight for freedom, peace and liberation are the great ones. Although, there have been many who anonymously fought for justice and peace throughout history, there is only one who started the idea of a liberate world for everyone. A world in which all nations could live together and embrace differences. Most importantly, he made this idea a reality in a time and place that an invader was called a conqueror!
A new beginning for the Middle East: The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia
Persia is the land of brave men, women, kings, and queens who fought for the prosperity and independence of their people and country. They are great for their people but there is only one who is “The Great One”.
Cyrus the Great
You can watch the original video clip with English subtitles on The British Museum channel.
Or Watch the following clips for more insight into the life and history of Cyrus the Great.
- The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning
- A Discussion on the Cyrus Cylinder
- In Search Of Cyrus The Great E1 ‘The Western Agenda’ Refer to their channel for more Episodes.
List of Books about Cyrus the Great available on Amazon
The most and foremost, Cyrus the Great is mentioned more than 30 times in Bible. The list below is some of the books about Cyrus the Great available on Amazon.
- Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War
- Cyrus the Great: Makers of History
- Cyrus The Great
- King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great
- Cyropaedia: The Wisdom of Cyrus the Great
- Cyrus the Great: A Life from Beginning to End
- The Cyrus Cylinder: The Great Persian Edict from Babylon
- History of Cyrus the Great
- Cyrus the Great (Illustrated)
- History’s Forgotten Father: Cyrus the Great
- The Life and Legacy of Cyrus the Great
The featured map is from here.