Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1360
Tomyris and the Head of Cyrus, Speculum Humanae Salvationis
Unknown · c. 1360
A medieval illuminated manuscript page from around 1360 showing Queen Tomyris with the severed head of Cyrus the Great, from a later legend.
Illustrates the legend of Cyrus's death at the hands of Queen Tomyris, part of his later legendary reputation.
About this source
What it is
This is a page from a medieval illuminated manuscript, the Speculum Humanae Salvationis, made around 1360 by an unknown artist. It shows Queen Tomyris holding the severed head of Cyrus the Great, a legendary story about his death.
Why it matters
This image is not a historical record but a medieval retelling of a legend about Cyrus's death at the hands of Tomyris, queen of the Massagetae. It shows how stories about Cyrus continued to be told and illustrated more than a thousand years after his lifetime, often shaped by moral and religious purposes of the manuscript's own time.
Look closer
- Why do you think medieval artists chose this violent moment to illustrate rather than Cyrus's achievements as a ruler?
- What does the gold lettering and style tell you about who this manuscript was made for?
- How reliable can a story be if it was written and illustrated so long after the events it describes?
This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cyrus the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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