View source for Cyropolis

{{Short description|Ancient Achaemenid city in Central Asia}}
{{for|the ancient town of Media Atropatene|Cyropolis (Media Atropatene)}}

{{Location map+
|Tajikistan
|float      = right
|width      = 300
|caption    = Map of Tajikistan with possible locations of Cyropolis pinpointed.<ref name="LVC"/><ref name="CB"/><ref name="EI"/>
|nodiv      = 1
|mini       = 1
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|places     = 
{{location map~ |Tajikistan |lat=40.283333|N |long=69.63|E |label=[[Khujand]]|position=top |label_size=70}}
{{location map~ |Tajikistan |lat=40.115833|N |long=67.842222|E |label=[[Jizak]] |position=left |label_size=70 }}
{{location map~ |Tajikistan |lat=39.910833|N |long=69.006389|E |label=[[Istaravshan]] |position=bottom |label_size=70 }}
{{location map~ |Tajikistan |lat=40.133333|N |long=69.25|E |label=[[Kurush, Tajikistan|Kurkath]] |position=right |label_size=70 }}
}}

[[File:Map of the Achaemenid Empire.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] showing the location of Cyropolis in [[Sogdiana]].]]

'''Cyreschata''' ([[Old Persian]]: {{translit|peo|Kuruškaθa}}),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/articles/place/alexandria-eschate |title=Alexandria Eschate |last=Lendering |first=Jona |author-link=Jona Lendering |date=2006 |website=Livius.org |publisher= |access-date=22 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cyropolis-latin-form-of-gr |title=CYROPOLIS |last=P’yankov |first=Igor V. |author-link=:ru:Пьянков, Игорь Васильевич |date=1994 |website=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |publisher= |access-date=2022-07-12 |quote= }}</ref> better known by its [[Latin language|Latin]] name '''Cyropolis''' ({{langx|grc|Κυρούπολις}} or {{lang|grc|Κύρου πόλις}}, {{translit|grc|Kyroúpolis}}),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0590%3Abook%3D16%3Achapter%3D3 Aelian, Characteristics of Animals, § 16.3]</ref> both meaning "City of Cyrus", was an ancient city founded by [[Cyrus the Great]] to mark the northeastern border of his [[Achaemenid Empire]].

==Location==
The actual location of this ancient city is currently undetermined. It is speculated that [[Alexander the Great]] may have established his own guard-town of [[Alexandria Eschate]] on the same location, simply renaming the Achaemenid city of Cyropolis.<ref name="LVC"/> Potential sites include the medieval and modern city of [[Khujand]] in northern [[Tajikistan]]; [[Jizak]] on the [[Jaxartes river]];<ref name="LVC">{{cite book |last1=Cummings |first1=Lewis Vance |title=Alexander the Great |date=2004 |publisher=Grove Press |isbn=9780802141491 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/alexandergreat0000cumm/page/286 286]-288 |url=https://archive.org/details/alexandergreat0000cumm |url-access=registration |language=en}}</ref> and Ura-Tyube, the modern day city of [[Istaravshan]].<ref name="CB">{{cite book |last1=Baumer |first1=Christoph |title=The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Steppe Warriors |date=2012 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=9781780760605 |page=279 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yglkwD7pKV8C&pg=PA279 |language=en}}</ref>

Although some scholars have associated Cyropolis with the site of Istaravshan, modern day [[Kurush, Tajikistan|Kurkath]] near the Syr Darya presently seems the most convincing potential site due in part to the fact that its location conforms closer to ancient reports. To date, however, there hasn't been archeological evidence which would settle the question. Although Mug Tepe, the citadel of Ura-Tyube at Istaravshan, contains strata that has been dated to the 4th century BC, the ancient site of Shirin at Kurkath hasn't been thoroughly investigated to date even though the well-known burial vaults at Shirin belong to a later period.<ref name="EI">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |title=Cyropolis |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/cyropolis-latin-form-of-gr |access-date= 28 April 2022 |language=English |year=2011 |publisher=Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation, Inc. |volume=VI, Fasc. 5 |pages=514–515}}</ref>

==History==
Cyropolis and the region around it was used as a sort of holding region for Greek populations that rebelled against Persia, being resettled there from their homelands around the coastline of what is now Turkey, a region largely settled by Greeks in the thousand years before its conquest by Persia under Xerxes and his successors. By the time of conflict with [[Alexander the Great]], it had a large Greek population and culture.

Cyropolis was the largest of seven towns in the region that [[Alexander the Great]] targeted for conquest in 329 B.C. His goal was the conquest of [[Sogdiana]]. Alexander first sent [[Craterus]] to Cyropolis, the largest of the towns holding Sogdiana against Alexander's forces. Craterus' instructions were to "take up a position close to the town, surround it with a ditch and stockade, and then assemble such siege engines as might suit his purpose...." The idea was to keep the inhabitants focused on their own defenses and to prevent them from sending assistance out to the other towns. Starting from [[Gazza, Tajikistan|Gazza]], Alexander went on to conquer the other surrounding towns. Five of the seven towns were taken in two days. Many of the inhabitants were killed. Alexander then arrived at Cyropolis, which was the best fortified of the towns and had the largest population. It also had reputedly the best fighters of the region.

Alexander battered Cyropolis' defenses with the siege engines. While the bombardment went on, Alexander ordered certain of his troops to sneak through a dried-up water course that went under the town's wall. Alexander also joined on this mission and once inside his troops opened the town's gate to admit his attacking force. Once the natives saw that the town was taken, they fell violently upon the attackers. Alexander received a violent blow from a stone that landed upon his head and neck. Craterus was wounded by an arrow. But the defenders were driven off. [[Arrian]] puts the defender's force at about 15,000 fighting men and claims that 8,000 of them were killed in the first phase of the operation. The rest apparently sought refuge inside the town's central fortress, but surrendered after one day for lack of water.<ref name="Arrian 1971 https://archive.org/details/campaignsofalexa00arri/page/204 204">{{cite book |title=The Campaigns of Alexander |last=Arrian |author-link=Arrian |year=1971 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London |isbn=0-14-044253-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/campaignsofalexa00arri/page/204 204] |url=https://archive.org/details/campaignsofalexa00arri/page/204 }}</ref>

Accounts of how the battle went down differ among authors. Arrian cites [[Ptolemy]] as saying Cyropolis surrendered from the start, and Arrian also states that according to [[Aristobulus of Cassandreia|Aristobulus]] the place was stormed and everyone was massacred.<ref name="Arrian 1971 https://archive.org/details/campaignsofalexa00arri/page/204 204"/>

== References ==
<references/>
{{Cyrus the Great}}
{{Central Asian history}}

[[Category:Achaemenid cities]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Tajikistan]]
[[Category:Cyrus the Great]]
[[Category:544 BC]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Tajikistan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 6th century BC]]
[[Category:Lost ancient cities and towns]]