Quick Bios! Persia (Susa)

• Grandfather, Astyages, tried to have him killed off as a baby
• Harpagus, who was supposed to kill him, gave him to a shepherd to kill, to avoid having blood on his hands.
• The shepherd kept Cyrus and gave his recently dead baby to Harpagus
• Cyrus grew up and took over the Persian throne. He was half-Mede, half-Persian (like a mule)
• Cyrus attacked Croesus and took over Lydia and Sardis.
• Cyrus defeated Croesus by listening to Harpagus' advice about the camels.
• Cyrus hears Croesus crying out about a man named Solon and saved Croesus, who became his friend.
• Cyrus decides to attack a lady named Tomyris.
• He dies.

•  Lived in Susa
• Was supposed to kill the king's grandson, Cyrus, but didn't.
• The king feeds Harpagus the flesh of his own son.
• Harpagus helps Cyrus become king for revenge
• Becomes an adviser to Cyrus.
• When Cyrus attacks Sardis Harpagus has him put the camels in front of the infantry and cavalry of their army so that the first things the Lydian horses will see and smell are camels. Horses hate the smell of camels. The horses of the Lydians freaked out and this helped the Persians/Cyrus win.

• King of Persia
• Related to Cyrus
• Very forgiving
• When he receives the dead head of his enemy Histiaeus he cries and has it washed and buried with proper honor.
• Sends enjoys/messengers to Athens and Sparta to ask for earth and water as signs that they would accept him as king.
• His messengers are pushed down wells to "find their earth and water."
• He sends an army to punish them, but in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC/E the Athenians cause the Greeks to win and Darius' army is defeated.
• Darius has a servant reminded him "Don't forget Athens, don't forget Athens, don't forget Athens," every day before he ate his evening meal.
• He dies before he can have revenge.

• Son of Darius.
• Wants to avenge his father and attack Athens.
• Whips the Hellespont because it broke his bridge of boats.
• Accepts Demaratos of Sparta as his adviser.
• Related to Mardonius.
• Goes to Athens to fight, these are the Persian Wars.
• Looks at his army and cries because life if short
• Laughs when Demaratos tells him that the Spartans will fight no matter what.
• Defeats Leonidas at Thermopylae, along with 300 other Spartans and their allies.
• Defeats Athens and camps inside their city.
• Fights at Salamis in 480 BC/E, but loses
• Retreats back home to Susa, a failure.

• Related to Xerxes.
• Loves mischief and causing trouble.
• Wants to rule all of Hellas/Greece.
• Convinces Xerxes to go to war against the Hellenics/Greeks.
• When Xerxes loses at Salamis in 480 BC/E Mardonius offers to stay behind with an army and try to defeat the Greeks/Hellenics by land because he knows everyone will blame him for the Persians losing since it was his idea in the first place.
• Xerxes doesn't care about Mardonius' life and allows him to stay.

•  Related to Xerxes.
• Prince of Persia.
• Alive during the Pelopponesian Wars.
• Signs a treaty with Sparta/Astyochus.
• Gives Spartan troops money.
• Is convinced by Alcibiades to back off and help less, letting Sparta and Athens kill each other off.