It has been deduced that Artashata was probably in charge of the royal "postal service," a high-ranking position. On the Behistun inscription, Darius the Great ( r. 522–486 BC) uses the term to refer to his high-ranking officers. However, the terms are in reality a Greek translation of the Old Persian bandaka, which did not mean slave, but "henchman, (loyal) servant, vassal." Greek writers report that Artashata later became the "courier" and "slave" of the king, which some modern historians believe was written to belittle Artashata. His first marriage has suggested being the terminus ad quem for when he dropped his Aramaic name, Codomannus. It was probably after this promotion that Artashata married for the first time, to an unknown noblewoman, who bore him two daughters, and possibly a son named Ariobarzanes. His exploit was noticed by Artaxerxes III, who sent him gifts and gave him the Satrapy of Armenia. During a battle, Artashata distinguished himself by slaying a warrior in single combat. Early life Ĭoin minted in by Cilicia by its satrap Mazaeus, portraying Artaxerxes III as pharaoh on the obverse, while a lion is depicted on the reverseĪrtashata is first attested during the Cadusian expedition of Artaxerxes III ( r. 358–338 BC) in the 350s BC. Darius had a brother and sister Oxyathres and Stateira I respectively. She may have been the daughter of Ostanes, and thus the sister of Arsames. She was probably of Achaemenid descent, although it is unknown to which branch she belonged. His mother was Sisygambis, a woman of obscure origins. He was the son of a certain Arsames, and grandson of Ostanes, whose father Darius II ruled the Achaemenid Empire from 424 BC to 405 BC. He was a distant member of the royal Achaemenid dynasty. He is not attested in any Persian sources and is almost completely only known from the reports of Greek historians, who portray his career as a contradiction to that of the successful Alexander the Great. The last century of the Achaemenid era is notable for lacking in sources, especially during the reign of Darius III. He first adopted the regnal name of Darius (Old Persian: Daraya-vahauš, "he who holds firm the good(ness)") when he ascended the Achaemenid throne in 336 BC. Badian suggests that his birth name was the Aramaic Codomannus, which he later dropped in favour of Artashata when he rose in ranks. However, this practice seems to have fallen out of favour during Darius' lifetime. One Persian magnate is also attested with a Babylonian and Iranian name. Having two names was not unusual there are several recorded instances of Babylonian figures having two names, often a Babylonian and Aramaic name. Badian has suggested that the name was of Western Semitic origin, most likely from the Aramaic qdmwn ("from the East, Easterner"). It may have been his nickname, or possibly a third name. The 2nd-century Roman historian Justin is the only historian to refer Darius as Codomannus, a name he supposedly bore before he rose to prominence. Before Alexander reached him, however, Darius was killed by his relative Bessus, who was also the satrap of Bactria.ĭarius is partially remembered in Iranian traditions as Dara II, the last king of the mythological Kayanian dynasty, which reflected memories of the Achaemenids.īefore his accession, Darius bore the name of Artashata (Old Persian: *Artašiyāta, "Happy in Arta"). With the Persian Empire now effectively under Alexander's control, Alexander then decided to pursue Darius. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great began his invasion of the Persian Empire and subsequently defeated the Persians in several battles before looting and destroying their capital, Persepolis, by fire in 330 BC. Darius was subsequently installed on the throne and soon forced Bagoas to drink his poison after discovering that the eunuch had planned to poison him as well. He only reigned for a few years, until Bagoas had him poisoned as well. In 338 BC, Artaxerxes III met an abrupt end after being poisoned by the court eunuch and chiliarch ( hazahrapatish) Bagoas, who installed his youngest son Arses on the throne. Around 340 BC, he was placed in charge of the royal "postal service," a high-ranking position. As a reward for his bravery, he was given the Satrapy of Armenia. During his early career, he was reportedly an obscure figure among his peers and first rose to prominence during the Cadusian expedition of Artaxerxes III in the 350s BC. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC.Ĭontrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Darius was a distant member of the Achaemenid dynasty.
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