More languages
More actions
Bardiya Haxāmanišyah 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹𐏐𐏃𐎧𐎠𐎶𐎴𐎡𐏁𐎡𐎹 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Died | 522 BCE |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Persian |
Bardiya Haxāmanišyah (died 522 BCE), also known by the Greek name Smerdis, was the younger brother of Kambūjiyah II and son of Kūruš II. He ruled for seven months in 522 BCE, but his successor Dārayavahuš I claimed that he was an impostor whose real name was Gaumata.[1]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Dārayavahuš I's Behistun inscription claimed that Bardiya died before the Persian invasion of Egypt. However, Herodotos says that Bardiya accompanied the army to Egypt. Kambūjiyah feared a coup and sent Bardiya back to Persia to be assassinated.[1]
Reign of Gaumata[edit | edit source]
A court official named Gaumata seized power in 522 BCE and claimed to be Bardiya. He was crowned at Pāthragadā and cancelled all taxes and conscription for three years. He did not face any popular rebellions throughout his reign.[1]
Assassination[edit | edit source]
The aristocrat Hutānah organized the assassination of Bardiya with Dārayavahuš and others. After the assassination, the conspirators fought among themselves, and Dārayavahuš seized the throne. He created the Behistun inscription, which called Bardiya an impostor. The inscription acknowledged that Dārayavahuš's official narrative seemed unbelievable.[1]
Appearance[edit | edit source]
Ancient historians including Herodotos and Ktesias wrote that Gaumata looked very similar to Bardiya. Bardiya's sisters, mothers, daughter, friends, and servants all thought Gaumata was legitimately Kūruš's son and never called him an impostor in the five years between Bardiya's supposed death and Gaumata's assassination.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Grigory Bongard-Levin, Boris Piotrovsky (1988). Ancient Civilisations of East and West. https://archive.org/details/ancientciveastwest/mode/1up.