gle
which cast its shadow on born rulers. Probably this eagle was remotely
Totemic, and the Achaemenians were descendants of an ancient eagle
tribe. Gilgamesh was protected by an eagle, as we have seen, as the
Aryo-Indian Shakuntala was by vultures and Semiramis by doves. The
legends regarding the birth and boyhood of Cyrus resemble those
related regarding Sargon of Akkad and the Indian Karna and Krishna.

Cyrus acknowledged as his overlord Astyages, king of the Medes. He
revolted against Astyages, whom he defeated and took prisoner.
Thereafter he was proclaimed King of the Medes and Persians, who were
kindred peoples of Indo-European speech. The father of Astyages was
Cyaxares, the ally of Nabopolassar of Babylon. When this powerful king
captured Nineveh he entered into possession of the northern part of
the Assyrian Empire, which extended westward into Asia Minor to the
frontier of the Lydian kingdom; he also possessed himself of Urartu
(Armenia). Lydia had, after the collapse of the Cimmerian power,
absorbed Phrygia, and its ambitious king, Alyattes, waged war against
the Medes. At length, owing to the good offices of Nebuchadrezzar of
Babylon and Syennesis of Cilicia, the Medes and Lydians made peace in
585 B.C. Astyages then married a daughter of the Lydian ruler.

When Cyrus overthrew Cyaxares, king of the Medes, Croesus, king of
Lydia, formed an alliance against him with Amasis, king of Egypt, and
Nabonidus, king of Babylon. The latter was at first friendly to Cyrus,
who had attacked Cyaxares when he was advancing on Babylon to dispute
Nabonidus's claim to the throne, and perhaps to win it for a
descendant of Nebuchadrezzar, his father's ally. It was after the fall
of the Median Dynasty that Nabonidus undertook the restoration of the
moon god's temple at Haran.

Cyrus advanced westward against Croesus of Lydia before that monarch
could receive assistance from the intriguing but pleasure-loving
Amasis of Egypt; he defeated and overthrew him, and seized his kingdom
(547-546 B.C.). Then, having established himself as supreme ruler in
Asia Minor, he began to operate against Babylonia. In 539 B.C.
Belshazzar was defeated near Opis. Sippar fell soon afterwards.
Cyrus's general, Gobryas, then advanced upon Babylon, where Belshazzar
deemed himself safe. One night, in the month of Tammuz--

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his
lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles