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Imperium medyjskie : fikcja czy historyczna rzeczywistość?
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Imperium medyjskie : fikcja czy historyczna rzeczywistość?
Bibliographic description
| title: | Imperium medyjskie : fikcja czy historyczna rzeczywistość? |
| author: | Wójcikowski Robert 
|
| editor: | Galewicz Cezary , Pstrusińska Jadwiga , Sudyka Lidia
|
| book title: | Understanding Eurasia : from ancient times to the present day = Zrozumieć Eurazję : od starożytności do czasów współczesnych |
| date of publication : | 2007 |
| place of publication : name of publisher: |
Kraków : Księgarnia Akademicka |
| pages: | 269-307 |
| ISBN: |
978-83-7188-100-8 |
| series: |
Miscellanea Eurasiatica Cracoviensia |
| language: | Polish |
| book language: | Polish |
| abstract in English: | From the 8lh century BC onwards, the Medes formed one of the most important ethnic groups in the western Iran, often mentioned in Assyrian sources. The height of their power fell in the 7th BC when military actions conducted by the Median king Kyaxares together with the NeoBabylonian ruler Nabopolassar led to the fall of the powerful Assyrian empire. The echoes of this event reached all the Near East and it was mentioned in numerous Babylonian documents, the Bible and the Greek tradition. However, sources for the developments after the fall of Assyria in 610 BC until the overthrow of the Medes by the Persians under Cyrus the Great’s rule in 550 BC are scanty. The most abundant account of Median history gives Herodotus stressing the role played by Kyaxares. The Kyaxares’ empire was supposed to cover the vast territory of Asia, from the Halys River to eastern Iran. Under Astyages’ rule the power of the Medes fell down suddenly and the Medes became part of the Persian empire. The lack of correlation between the oriental sources and Herodotus led to the dispute about the latter’s value as a reliable historical source. The Near Eastern sources contain many contradictory testimonies concerning the character of the Medes’ rule, their impact in the war with Assyria or the lands under their power. The lack of abundant information about the Medes between 610-550 BC results in denying the existence of the Medes Empire. In the extreme form, this view denies the Medes the ability to create the united state. According to some scholars, the Medes were able to found only a tribal coalition directed against Assyria. As politically more developed, Babylonia was to dominate in the Medo- Babylonian alliance. In spite of the great popularity of these theories there is no justification for them in the sources themselves. Still, the Assyrian chronicles in the 8th c. BC mention fortified cities of the Medes. The course of military actions shows clearly that the Medes were in the coalition with Babylonia the stronger side. The ablity to conduct far reaching military campaign suggests that from the Medes’ part they were organized by a tightly-knit governing centre. From Babylon’s point of view the un- derstimation of the role of the Medes in the war with Assyria had a pure political and propaganda dimension. On the ruins of Assyria Kyaxares established the powerful Median empire that, until its fall in 550, played a crucial role in the Near East. To keep the huge territorial complex the kings of Medes had to introduce a centralized rule based on the Mesopotamian models. That led to the opposition among the Median aristocracy unwilling to increase the royal authority, a process that was incompatible with the Median tradition.The opposition must have emerged already under Kyaxares but it was not strong enough to act openly against the monarch. The clashes between the king and the aristocracy resulted in hindering the Median expansion. The neighbours of Media regarded it as a potential aggressor because of its military power. The conflict between the king and parts of the Median elites reached its climax under the reign of Astyages. As a result the Median statehood broke down and hegemony over Iran passed into the hands of the Persian Achemenids, related to the ruling house of the Medes. |
| affiliation: | Wydział Historyczny : Instytut Archeologii |
| type: | chapter |
| subtype: | academic paper |
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Udzielam licencji. Uznanie autorstwa - Użycie niekomercyjne - Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowa
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