WI: No Cyrus the Great

[Mort the Reaper]

What if Cyrus the Great had never risen to power? How might things be altered?

 

[gurgu]

no persian empire-> egypt,babylon,israel,whatever dominates anatolia all free -> no greek invasion-> no 300 movie-> no "this is sparta" .

 

[Derek Pullem]

Not so sure - Darius I who actually invaded Greece was part of a cadet branch of Cyrus' family. Highly likely that absent Cyrus I that another Persian possibly Arsames (Darius' grandfather and Cyrus I's cousin) would take on the Medes.

Butterflies aren't always strong enough to push the inertia of pre-existing issues down a totally different route.

 

[gurgu]

Not so sure - Darius I who actually invaded Greece was part of a cadet branch of Cyrus' family. Highly likely that absent Cyrus I that another Persian possibly Arsames (Darius' grandfather and Cyrus I's cousin) would take on the Medes.

Butterflies aren't always strong enough to push the inertia of pre-existing issues down a totally different route.

probably but he wasn't on the same level so there won't be the same expansion

 

[John7755 يوحنا]

Not so sure - Darius I who actually invaded Greece was part of a cadet branch of Cyrus' family. Highly likely that absent Cyrus I that another Persian possibly Arsames (Darius' grandfather and Cyrus I's cousin) would take on the Medes.

Butterflies aren't always strong enough to push the inertia of pre-existing issues down a totally different route.

Why would Elam-Persia automatically conquer these lands?

 

[Derek Pullem]

Why would Elam-Persia automatically conquer these lands?

They wouldn't - but they wouldn't automatically fail to if Cyrus did not exist.

Given that they key factor in the the Medes defeat was the defection of their general, it is likely that any competent rival could topple the Medes

Thereafter who knows.

Sometimes the butterfly theory is used to almost justify an odd version of the "Great Man" theory of history. I don't think it follows that if one man is killed that the fall of Median Kingdom and the expansion into the vacuum left by the Assyrians of another polity will not happen because - butterflies.

 

[John7755 يوحنا]

They wouldn't - but they wouldn't automatically fail to if Cyrus did not exist.

Given that they key factor in the the Medes defeat was the defection of their general, it is likely that any competent rival could topple the Medes

Thereafter who knows.

Sometimes the butterfly theory is used to almost justify an odd version of the "Great Man" theory of history. I don't think it follows that if one man is killed that the fall of Median Kingdom and the expansion into the vacuum left by the Assyrians of another polity will not happen because - butterflies.

Understandable opinion. Elam-Persia is certainly a contender regardless of leader. Elam had for centuries been on the edge of middle eastern conquest and overcoming Assyria. The Persian addition to this cadre of Elam, bid them well. However, Lidya and Egypt are potential contenders and Chladaea-Babylon is not terrible either if it could revive some of that Assyrian martial prowess.