Median Empire in 560 BC

During the 7th century BC, the great Assyrian Empire was the major power in the region. It terrorised its opponents with the first siege towers ever built, a formidable army well-equipped
and a propension to slaughter all resistance... When Ashurbanipal, the most powerful Assyrian leader, died in 627 BC, it was the signal for the revolt...
Medians and Babylonians allied themselves to make the giant fall on its knees... Then, in 612 BC, the Assyrian capital of Nineveh fell to the coalised who destroyed it.
So it was no surprise that the first occurence of the Median people in literature had to be found in texts from the almighty Assyrian Empire, as its rulers vassalized Median tribes...

But after 612 BC, everything changes and for half a century, a new balance of powers between Lydia, Media, Babylonia and Egypt structures the Ancient East...
In 585, Astyages ascends the throne... He marries the daughter of Croesus the Lydian king... But a dream tells him than from his daughter Mandane's belly would flow a
torrent which would sweep through all Asia... So much pee, what does it mean ?  For Astyages, it is the sign that his grandson would overthrow him... Which he did !
This grandson has a famous name... Cyrus II, founder of the Persian Empire...