Tomyris was a legendary female ruler who ruled the Confederation of Asia that comprised of pastoral- nomadic people living there. The confederation was located in what is now modern-day Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Tomyris led her army to fight against the Achaemenid Empire in 530BC. The Achaemenid Empire was commonly known as the first Persian Empire, which came up in the 6th empire. The king ruling Persia Cyrus II united the states in Mesopotamia and began expanding his rule to other countries. He considered himself powerful and saw himself as a victor. “For there were many weighty reasons that impelled and encouraged him to do so: first, his birth, because of which he seemed to be something more than mortal; and next, his victories in his wars” ( Deligiorgis 1 ). The plan was to expand and go as far as Egypt; however, King Cyrus II understood that defeating such a strong empire would be hard. Consequently, King Cyrus postponed the conquest and decided to invade the kingdoms in the eastern borders. The eastern border was occupied by the nomadic people of Saka and Massagetae. These areas were occupied by people with high power when it came to military prowess. The military men were tactful in their endeavors and could attack any region at any time with a guarantee of success. In 530BC Cyrus invaded the east.
During the time of the invasion, the Massagetae people were ruled by Tomyris. Tomyris was a queen, the daughter of Spargapises. Spargapises was the tribal leaders of all Massagatae tribes. After the death of her father, she inherited power given she was an only child. Some tribal leaders felt that a girl should not lead and they went ahead to make attempts to overthrow her with no success. Throughout her life, Tomyris has lived to prove her right to power, and she did with courage and valor. She devoted her life to service to her people and that she did with courage and devotion.
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Herodotus describes to the people of describes the people of Massagetae who were led by Tomyris as follows:
“ In their dress and mode of living, the Massagetae resemble Scythians. They fight both on horseback and on foot, neither method is strange to them: they use bows and lances, but their favorite weapon is the battle-axe. Their arms are all either of gold or brass. For their spear-points, and arrow-heads, and for their battle-axes, they make use of brass; for head-gear, belts, and girdles, of gold. So too with the caparison of their horses, they give them breastplates of brass, but employ gold about the reins, the bit, and the cheek-plates. They use neither iron nor silver, having none in their country; but they have brass and gold in abundance” (Klimczak, par. 7).
The description paints them as armed nomads. Their fighting gear included axes, bows, and arrows. The materials used to make their weapons included brass and gold, which were the most readily available materials in the country. The fighters used horses to fight, which provided them with transport. They fought while on horsebacks as well as on foot, which ensured they fought in any situation. When King Cyrus II attacked in all the initial invasions, he won. The Massagaetae were not considered a strong enemy or a threat to the invasion. To King Cyrus II a woman and her son leading an army was not something to worry about and worry he did not. He won all the initial attacks he had staged against the kingdoms in the east of his territory. Accounts from the war indicate that King Cyrus II used a clever tactic where he and his men abandoned their camp and let the people of Massagetae invade it. Upon invasion, the soldiers of Massagetae indulged in alcohol and got drunk. The drinking was made worse by the fact that they did not usually consume alcohol. The son of Tomyris was captured during this invasion and later died by asking King Cyrus II for a chance to commit suicide (Klimczak, pars. 9-10).
Tomyris was fearless, and the courage was increased after the death of the son. She sent messages to King Cyrus II and consequently, he ignored. At one point in time king, Cyrus II sent an ambassador to queen Tomyris to propose uniting the two nations instead of fighting all the time. The queen declined the offer and promised King Cyrus that she would give him adequate blood to quench his thirst. The queen challenged the Persians to a second battle, but the Persians didn’t think they could lose. When the battle occurred Tomyris’ team was ready, and they did block the escape route for King Cyrus and his soldiers.
Queen Tomyris did win the war in which she involved women in the fighting team. The Persians were shocked as they did not expect to women to courageously participate in war. All the Persians were killed, among them king Cyrus II. The queen ordered the king’s blood to be collected into a wineskin saying "You wanted blood, so empty it to the dregs!" ( Nurlanuly, par. 10 ). The queen Tomyris was a skillful strategist and had authority over her kingdom. She demonstrated how strong a woman could be when a need presents itself. For the queen Tomyris, it was the death of her husband and the son that depicted that she rises to the occasion to lead her people and save them from the attacks from the neighbors who included King Cyrus II. They stood in time when local leaders wanted to take the tribal seat that she ought to have inherited from her father. She presents a crucial image for all people in society with special representation of the special populations in society. The queen created a vital image for all people that they could rise to whatever challenge they face.
The courage of the queen saw women participate in wars as soldiers with some going to extreme measures as cutting their breasts to ensure that they were effective and efficient in their duties in the military. The courage and valor in which they conducted their duties was motivation from the queen who made good his word when he killed King Cyrus II and put his blood his in a wineskin as she had said she would do. To this day the name Tomyris is a common name for the girls in Kazakhstan. The name means smash iron or iron that is bent. The name motivates people to rise to the challenges they are facing as a family or as a nation and solve them effectively.
In conclusion, Tomyris was a legend who lived in the 6th century. She fought and defeated King Cyrus II, who sent invaders into the kingdoms in the east to expand his conquest. King Cyrus wanted to conquer Egypt, but, he considered it a strong military to fight and consequently invaded the kingdoms in the east which included queen Tomyris kingdom. The initial advances included were successful. However, during one of the missions, the queens' son was captured and later died. The death of the Tomyris son provided the queen more motivation, and she turned down king Cyrus II’s request for unity. She promised her people victory, and to king Cyrus II she promised to give him blood enough to quench his thirst; after she won the war she put king Cyrus II blood in a wineskin, the legend lived to inspires others to be stronger.
Work Cited
Klimczak, Natalia. “Tomyris, The Female Warrior and Ruler Who May Have Killed Cyrus the Great.” Ancient Origins. 26 Feb. 2016. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/tomyris-female-warrior-and-ruler-who-may-have-killed-cyrus-great-005423 Accessed 20 Dec. 2018.
Deligiorgis, Kostas. “Tomyris, Queen of the Massagetes: A Mystery in Herodotus’s History.” Anistoriton Journal, vol. 14, no. 2014-2015, 2015, pp. 1-8.
Nurlanuly, Miras. “Tomyris. The Queen Who Defeated The Persians.” National Digital History of Kazikstan. 28 Jul. 2015. https://e-history.kz/en/publications/view/1282 Accessed on 20 December 2018.
