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[[File:Medo-Persia - Achaemid Family Tree - inc Otanes & Cyaxares II.PNG|250px|thumb|right|The Achaemid Family Tree showing the merging or the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians to create the Medo-Persian Empire; also known to many as simply the Persian Empire.]]

[[File:Medo-Persia - Achaemid Family Tree - inc Otanes & Cyaxares II.PNG|250px|thumb|right|The Achaemid Family Tree showing the merging or the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians to create the Medo-Persian Empire; also known to many as simply the Persian Empire.]]

'''Cyaxares II''' is the alleged son of the legendary Astyages, King of the [[Medes|Mede]] in [[Ecbatana]].   

'''Cyaxares II''', is the alleged son of the legendary [[Astyages]], King of the [[Medes|Mede]] in [[Ecbatana]] who allegedly reigned from 561 to 536 BC<ref>Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Danirl 9:1; https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/daniel/9.htm</ref>.  The generally accepted narrative is that the throne passed straight from [[Astyages]] to [[Cyrus the Great]].

== Original Sources ==

== Original Sources ==

The son of Astyages, ''Cyaxares II'' (not to be confused with [[Cyaxares I]], father of Astyages) does not exist in any surviving or currently available extant cuniform tablets or the likes.  The strongest evidence for his existence lies within the pages [[Xenophon|Xenohon's]] ''Cyropedia'' who as a Greek military commander, allegedly served in Cyrus' army; whose [[Xenophon|Cyropedia]] was highly prized by Alexander the Great as a source of perpetual study.  This combined with a probable identity match with Josephus' [[Darius the Mede]] and two of the rebels in the days of [[Darius I]] claiming to be of the household of Cyaxares (I or II?) has left room for a good case of his existence to many. Below we shall examine the original sources.

The son of [[Astyages]], [[Cyaxares II]] (not to be confused with [[Cyaxares I]], father of [[Astyages]]) does not exist in any surviving or currently available extant cuniform tablets or the likes.  The strongest evidence for his existence lies within the pages [[Xenophon|Xenohon's]] ''[[Cyropaedia]]'', who as a Greek military commander served in [[Cyrus the Younger|Cyrus']] army.  This work was so highly prized by [[Alexander the Great]], that he made it perpetual study; by extension it was obviously also recommended to him by his teacher [[Aristotle]].  This combined with a probable identity match with Josephus' [[Darius the Mede]] "who is known to the Greeks by another name" created a good case.  Compoundingly, two of the rebels listed in [[Darius I|Darius I's]] [[Behistun (inscription)|Behistun Inscription]] claimed "to be of Cyaxares" and "to be of the household of Cyaxares": which has naturally created debate if these are references to [[Cyaxares I]] or [[Cyaxares II]].

 

Alternitively, [[Cyaxares II]] does not appear in Ptolemy's Canon<ref>Livius, Ptolemy's Canon; https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/ptolemys-canon/</ref> or the Uruk King List.<ref>Livius, Uruk King List;https://www.livius.org/sources/content/uruk-king-list/</ref>, but neither of these feature [[Belshazzar]] who is now confirmed to us by the Nabonidus Cylinder (from Ur)<ref>Livius, ''Nabonidus Cylinder from Ur'',https://www.livius.org/sources/content/nabonidus-cylinder-from-ur/</ref> either.

 

In the following sections we shall examine these sources in more detail.

=== In the works of Xenophon ===

=== In the works of Xenophon ===