Secondary sourceBookc. 200 BC
Book of Daniel
c. 200 BC
A later Jewish biblical text that places the prophet Daniel at the Persian court, including the era of Cyrus, in its visions and stories.
This biblical book situates its narrative in the Persian court era associated with Cyrus's empire.
About this source
What it is
The Book of Daniel is part of the Hebrew Bible, set in the 6th century BC but believed by most scholars to have actually been written in the 2nd century BC. It tells the story of Daniel, a Jewish exile, and includes prophetic visions set during the reigns of Babylonian, Median and Persian kings, including the era of Cyrus.
Why it matters
The book shows how later generations of Jewish writers imagined and remembered the Persian court where Cyrus ruled. It became hugely influential in Jewish and Christian tradition and shaped ideas about prophecy and empire for centuries afterward.
Look closer
- Why might a story written centuries after an event still set itself in that earlier time?
- What does it tell us that Cyrus's era became part of later religious storytelling?
- How might the purpose of the writers have shaped how they portrayed Persian kings?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cyrus the Great and Nebuchadnezzar II on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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