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Tomyris, when she found that Cyrus paid no heed to her advice,
collected all the forces of her kingdom, and gave him battle. Of all
the combats in which the barbarians have engaged among themselves, I
reckon this to have been the fiercest. The following, as I
understand, was the manner of it: First, the two armies stood apart
and shot their arrows at each other; then, when their quivers were
empty, they closed and fought hand-to-hand with lances and daggers;
and thus they continued fighting for a length of time, neither choosing
to give ground. At length the Massagetae prevailed. The greater
part of the army of the Persians was destroyed and Cyrus himself
fell, after reigning nine and twenty years. Search was made among the
slain by order of the queen for the body of Cyrus, and when it was
found she took a skin, and, filling it full of human blood, she
dipped the head of Cyrus in the gore, saying, as she thus insulted
the corse, "I live and have conquered thee in fight, and yet by thee
am I ruined, for thou tookest my son with guile; but thus I make
good my threat, and give thee thy fill of blood." Of the many
different accounts which are given of the death of Cyrus, this which
I have followed appears to me most worthy of credit.
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