Person

Astyages

r. 585–550 BCE · 6th century BCE

Astyages was the last king of the Median Empire in the sixth century BCE. According to tradition he was the grandfather of Cyrus the Great, who revolted against him. Cyrus's victory over Astyages around 550 BCE ended the Median Empire and marked the foundation of the Achaemenid Empire.

Astyages
Image: Designed by Maximilien de Haese, Woven by Jac. van der Borght (1771-1775) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Achaemenid EmpireFoundationMedian EmpireGovernance, DeclineKingdom of LydiaGovernance, Decline

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Anshan

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Astyages. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/astyages
MLA
“Astyages.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/astyages. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Astyages.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/astyages.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Astyages’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/astyages (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻