Kazakhstan has been a historical crossroads and home to numerous different peoples, states and empires throughout history.
Between 500 BC and 500 AD the area was home to the Saka and the Huns, early nomadic warrior cultures.
During the 6th century BC, the Massagetae had to face the successor of the Median Empire whose founder, Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian empire, carried out a campaign against them in 530 BC.
The Massagetae or Massageteans, also known as Saka, were an ancient Eastern Iranian people who inhabited the steppes of Central Asia and were part of the wider Scythian people who’d displaced the Cimmerians and the Agathyrsi.
Tomyris was a queen of the Massagetae (c. 530 BC) inheriting the throne as an only child. Many tribal leaders were dissatisfied with the fact that they were guided by a woman and tried to overthrow her.
When Cyrus the Great asked for her hand with the intent of acquiring her kingdom through the marriage, she rejected his proposal. On the advice of the Lydian King Croesus (r. 585-546 BC), Cyrus responded to Tomyris's rejection by deciding to invade the Massagetae.
Spargapises was the son of Queen Tomyris. Once he had become old enough, he became the leader of the army of the Massagetae.
According to Herodotus, Cyrus captured a Massagetaean camp by ruse. After Queen Tomyris found out about the death of Spargapises, she sent Cyrus an angry letter and demanded that he leave the land or else she would "give him more blood than he could drink.”
Queen Tomyris led the Massagetean army into war, and, during the battle defeated the Persians and destroyed most of their army.
She placed the severed head of Cyrus the Great in a sack full of blood saying, "Drink your fill of blood!”
Little is further known about Tomyris after the war with Cyrus. By around 520 BC and possibly earlier, her tribe was ruled by King Skunxa, who rebelled against the Persian Empire until King Darius I, carried out a campaign against the Sakas from 520 to 518 BC during which he conquered the Massagetae, captured Skunxa, and replaced him with a ruler who was loyal to Achaemenid power.
The Iranian Empire began with the rise of the Medes, who unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC. The Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC) was the largest empire the world had seen, spanning from the Balkans to North Africa and Central Asia. They were succeeded by the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Empires, who governed Iran for almost 1,000 years.
“Blood-thirsty Cyrus, … give me my son and leave this country with impunity … If you do not, I swear to you by the sun, as ruler of the Massagetae, that I will give you blood to drink, even though you are insatiable.”
---
Like this post? Stop by and read “Kandake Amanirenas: Leading the Kushites Against the Romans.” Queen Amanirenas remains one of the most famous Meroitic queens because of her role in leading the Kushite army against the Romans in a war that lasted three years. This war is largely responsible for halting Rome’s southward expansion in Africa.
I'd love to have you as a customer, head to the online store and shop for handcrafted beaded jewelry by beYOUteous.
Leave a comment