Battle of Hyrba
| Battle of Hyrba | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Campaigns of Cyrus the Great | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Median Empire | Persis | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Harpagus, unknown others |
Cyrus the Great, Later Harpagus, unknown others |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 300 cavalry | 5,000 infantry, (engaged)? 1,000+ cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 250 cavalry | Very light | ||||||||
The Battle of Hyrba was the first battle between the Persians and Medians, taking place around 552 BC. It was also the first battle after the Persians had revolted. These actions were led (for the most part) by Cyrus the Great, as he shifted the powers of the ancient Middle East. The Persian success in the battle led to the creation of Persia's first empire and began Cyrus's decade long conquest of almost all of the known world. Though the only authority with a detailed account of the battle was Nicolaus of Damascus, other well-known historians such as Herodotus, Ctesias, and Strabo also mention the battle in their own accounts.
The outcome of the battle was such a great blow to Medes that Astyages decided to personally invade Persia. The hasty invasion eventually led to his downfall. In turn, the former enemies of the Medes tried to move against them, only to be stopped by Cyrus. Thus a period of reconciliation began, which facilitated a close relationship between the Persians and Medes, and enabled Ecbatana, capital of Media, to pass to the Persians as one of Persia's capitals in the newly formed empire.
The battle occurred after the Persian Revolt, which is known to have taken place in the summer of 553 BC. Based on scant sources the battle (which was in Hyrba) is believed to have taken place at least half a year after the revolt had already begun, probably in the beginning of winter in 552 BC.Astyages, the king of Medes, who is thought to have also been Cyrus's grandfather, had earlier turned down the request of Cyrus to leave his court and visit his parents again, as he had done several times earlier. Though his request to Astyages was not unusual, Cyrus had made the mistake of asking him right after the revolt that had happened, but through the pleading of the Persian servant, Oebares, Astyages let him visit his parents again. In Herodotus' version, in one of the first times Cyrus had gone to his parents, the Median general Harpagus had secretly sent a letter stuffed in a hare to Cyrus to plot a revolt, and Cyrus passed the letter on to his father. This matches the account of Nicolaus in which he says that Cambyses I had already assembled many troops well before the battle had started, and that he later despatched a small number to Cyrus's aid. Cyrus sent a message to his father saying "... send at once 1000 cavalry and 5000 foot-soldiers to the city of Hyrba which lay on the way, and to arm the rest of the Persians as quickly as possible in such a way that it should seem to be done by command of the king. His true aims he did not communicate to him." This also confirms the notion that the battle took place months, not days, after the revolt. Astyages' decision to let Cyrus return to his parents is considered by some to have changed history by eventually enabling the Persis province to become the most powerful state in the ancient world.
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Wikipedia