14. The Ancient Nomad Queen Who Did in a Great Conqueror
Cyrus the Great led an army into the Steppe to bring the Massagetae to heel. He won an initial victory against a nomad contingent commanded by Queen Tomyris’ son, with a ruse in which the Persians “forgot” a huge stock of wine in an abandoned camp. The Massagetae captured the wine, and unused to the drink, got gloriously drunk. Cyrus then turned around, fell upon the inebriated nomads, and killed many of them, including Tomyris’ son. The Massagetae queen sent Cyrus a message in which she challenged him to a second battle, and the overconfident Cyrus accepted. She personally led her army this time.
As described by Herodoutus: “Tomyris mustered all her forces and engaged Cyrus in battle. I consider this to have been the fiercest battle between non-Greeks that there has ever been…. They fought at close quarters for a long time, and neither side would give way, until eventually, the Massagetae gained the upper hand. Most of the Persian army was wiped out there, and Cyrus himself died too.” The Persian army was virtually wiped out. After the battle, Tomyris had Cyrus’ corpse beheaded and crucified. She then threw his severed head into a vessel filled with human blood. According to Herodotus, she is quoted as having addressed Cyrus the Great’s head as it bobbed in the blood: “I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall“.