Cyrus last expedition brought him to modern Khazakhstan,
where he fought against a nomadic tribe called Massagetes. The news of his
death in battle reached Babylon in December 530 BCE, where letters were
dated the first year of the reign of king Cambyses, because Cyrus had appointed
his son Cambyses as his successor. (The mother of Cambyses was Cassadane)
Cyrus was buried near Pasargadae, in a small building containing a gold
sarcophagus, his arms, his jewellery and a cloak. This cloak played an
important role in the Persian inauguration rituals . When Persia was subjected
by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, many sacred objects were taken
away to prevent the coronation of of an anarya, a foreigner; Cyrus body was
desacrated by throwing it on the ground. Alexander ordered restorations
in January 324 BCE.
Because Cyrus the Great did not have a son, there
was a struggle for succession. After the struggle it was concluded
that a general named Darius should succeed Cyrus the Great.
HOME