Metcalf Tag

A young Cyrus offers a cup of wine to Astyages, King of the Median Empire. Tapestry in wool and silk from the van der Borcht workshop, after a drawing by Maximiliaann De Hase, 1772-76. Digital Image via The Clothworkers’ Company (CLC/TN/002), Public Domain.

By ANE Today Editor

History Literature & Texts Mythology

The Myth of the Servant: A New Tale of Kingship from the Ancient Near East

Why do so many of the ancient world’s most famous kings share the same unlikely origin story? The answer may lie in a mythical template first forged in Mesopotamia.