Bardiya
Encyclopedia
Bardiya (possibly died 522 BCE) was a son of Cyrus the Great
and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life, he may have ruled the Achaemenid Empire
for a few months in 522 BCE, or he may have been impersonated by a magus
called Gaumata. ( Gaumāta)
name is Bardiya. He is called Tonyoxarces (Sphendadates) by Ctesias
, he is called Tanooxares by Xenophon
, who takes the name from Ctesias, and he is called Mardos by Justin
and Aeschylus
. In the prevalent Greek
form of his name, Smerdis, the Persian name has been assimilated to the Greek (Asiatic) name Smerdis or Smerdies, a name which also occurs in the poems of Alcaeus
and Anacreon.
In English-language histories he has traditionally usually been called Smerdis, but recent histories are tending to call him Bardiya.
Behistun inscription
, as well as Herodotus, Justin, and Ctesias, although there are minor differences between them.
Bardiya was the younger son of Cyrus the Great
and (full or half) brother of Cambyses II. According to Ctesias, on his deathbed Cyrus appointed Bardiya as satrap
(governor) of some of the far-eastern provinces. According to Darius the Great, Cambyses II, after becoming king of Persia but before setting out for Egypt, killed Bardiya and kept this secret. However according to Herodotus who gives two detailed stories, Bardiya went to Egypt with Cambyses and was there for some time but later Cambyses sent him back to Susa
out of envy, because "Bardiya alone could draw the bow brought from the Ethiopian king." Herodotus then states that "Cambyses had a dream in which he saw his brother sitting on the royal throne. As a result of this dream Cambyses sent his trusted counselor Prexaspes from Egypt to Susa with the order to kill Smerdis" (i.e. Bardiya).
Bardiya's death was not known to the people, and so in the spring of 522 BCE a usurper pretended to be him and proclaimed himself king on a mountain near the Persian town of Paishiyauvada
. Darius claimed that the real name of the usurper was Gaumata, a Magi
an priest from Media; this name has been preserved by Justin
i. 9 (from Charon of Lampsacus?) but given to his brother Cambyses (called Patizeithes by Herodotus) who is said to have been the real promoter of the intrigue. According to Herodotus, the name of the Magian usurper was Oropastes, but according to Ctesias it was Sphendadates.
The despotic rule of Cambyses, coupled with his long absence in Egypt, contributed to the fact that "the whole people, Persians, Medes
and all the other nations," acknowledged the usurper, especially as he granted a remission of taxes for three years.
Cambyses began to march against him, but died in the spring of 522 BCE in disputed circumstances. Before his death he confessed to the murder of his brother, and publicly explained the whole fraud, but this was not generally believed. Nobody had the courage to oppose the new king, who ruled for seven months over the whole empire. The new king transferred the seat of government to Media
.
A number of Persian nobles discovered that their new ruler was an impostor, and a group of seven nobles formed a plot to kill him. They surprised him at a castle in Nisa, home of the Nisean horse
s, and stabbed him to death in September 522 BCE. One of the seven, Darius, was proclaimed as ruler shortly after.
) it could be straining credulity to say that they all were.
.
The real Bardiya had only one daughter, called Parmys
, who eventually married Darius the Great.
Some contracts dating from his reign have been found in Babylonia, where his name is spelt Barziya or Bardiya. Darius says that Bardiya destroyed some temples, which Darius later restored. Bardiya also took away the herds and houses of the people, which Darius corrected once he gained the throne.
The death of the false Bardiya was annually celebrated in Persia by a feast called “the killing of the magian," (Magiophani) at which no magian was allowed to show himself.
in his novel Creation
. He takes the view that the person who ruled for a few months was the real Bardiya.
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life, he may have ruled the Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
for a few months in 522 BCE, or he may have been impersonated by a magus
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
called Gaumata. ( Gaumāta)
Name and sources
The prince's name is listed variously in the historical sources. His PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
name is Bardiya. He is called Tonyoxarces (Sphendadates) by Ctesias
Ctesias
Ctesias of Cnidus was a Greek physician and historian from Cnidus in Caria. Ctesias, who lived in the 5th century BC, was physician to Artaxerxes Mnemon, whom he accompanied in 401 BC on his expedition against his brother Cyrus the Younger....
, he is called Tanooxares by Xenophon
Xenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
, who takes the name from Ctesias, and he is called Mardos by Justin
Junianus Justinus
Justin was a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire. His name is mentioned only in the title of his own history, and there it is in the genitive, which would be M. Juniani Justini no matter which nomen he bore.Of his personal history nothing is known...
and Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
. In the prevalent Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
form of his name, Smerdis, the Persian name has been assimilated to the Greek (Asiatic) name Smerdis or Smerdies, a name which also occurs in the poems of Alcaeus
Alcaeus
Alcaeus may refer to:*Alcaeus , a writer of ten plays of the Old Comedy.*Alcaeus , one of several figures of this name in Greek mythology*12607 Alcaeus - a main belt asteroid...
and Anacreon.
In English-language histories he has traditionally usually been called Smerdis, but recent histories are tending to call him Bardiya.
Traditional view
The traditional view based on the majority of ancient sources e.g. Darius the Great'sDarius I of Persia
Darius I , also known as Darius the Great, was the third king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire...
Behistun inscription
Behistun Inscription
The Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون...
, as well as Herodotus, Justin, and Ctesias, although there are minor differences between them.
Bardiya was the younger son of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
and (full or half) brother of Cambyses II. According to Ctesias, on his deathbed Cyrus appointed Bardiya as satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
(governor) of some of the far-eastern provinces. According to Darius the Great, Cambyses II, after becoming king of Persia but before setting out for Egypt, killed Bardiya and kept this secret. However according to Herodotus who gives two detailed stories, Bardiya went to Egypt with Cambyses and was there for some time but later Cambyses sent him back to Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
out of envy, because "Bardiya alone could draw the bow brought from the Ethiopian king." Herodotus then states that "Cambyses had a dream in which he saw his brother sitting on the royal throne. As a result of this dream Cambyses sent his trusted counselor Prexaspes from Egypt to Susa with the order to kill Smerdis" (i.e. Bardiya).
Bardiya's death was not known to the people, and so in the spring of 522 BCE a usurper pretended to be him and proclaimed himself king on a mountain near the Persian town of Paishiyauvada
Paishiyauvada
Paishiyauvada was a Persian city during the Achaemenid era.Gaumata the Magian pretended to be Smerdis and proclaimed himself king on the mountain Arakadrish near the town Paishiyauvada...
. Darius claimed that the real name of the usurper was Gaumata, a Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
an priest from Media; this name has been preserved by Justin
Justin
Justin is a given name. It may refer to:People* Justin , a common given name* Justin , 3rd century Roman historian* Justin I , or Flavius Iustinius Augustus, an Eastern Roman Emperor who ruled from 518 to 527...
i. 9 (from Charon of Lampsacus?) but given to his brother Cambyses (called Patizeithes by Herodotus) who is said to have been the real promoter of the intrigue. According to Herodotus, the name of the Magian usurper was Oropastes, but according to Ctesias it was Sphendadates.
The despotic rule of Cambyses, coupled with his long absence in Egypt, contributed to the fact that "the whole people, Persians, Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and all the other nations," acknowledged the usurper, especially as he granted a remission of taxes for three years.
Cambyses began to march against him, but died in the spring of 522 BCE in disputed circumstances. Before his death he confessed to the murder of his brother, and publicly explained the whole fraud, but this was not generally believed. Nobody had the courage to oppose the new king, who ruled for seven months over the whole empire. The new king transferred the seat of government to Media
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
.
A number of Persian nobles discovered that their new ruler was an impostor, and a group of seven nobles formed a plot to kill him. They surprised him at a castle in Nisa, home of the Nisean horse
Nisean horse
The Nisean horse, or Nisaean Horse is an extinct horse breed, once native to the town of Nisaia. Located in the Nisaean Plains at the foot of the southern region of the Zagros Mountains, Iran. They were highly sought after in the ancient world...
s, and stabbed him to death in September 522 BCE. One of the seven, Darius, was proclaimed as ruler shortly after.
Revisionist view
Some modern historians dispute the traditional story. They believe that the person who ruled for a few months was the real son of Cyrus, and that the story of his impersonation by a magus was an invention of Darius to justify his seizure of the throne. According to M. Dandamaev, this view "must remain hypothetical". There are some implausibilities in the "official" story e.g. the impostor resembled the real Bardiya so closely that even his harem of wives did not spot the difference. Darius often accused rebels and opponents of being impostors (e.g. Nebuchadnezzar IIINebuchadnezzar III
Nebuchadnezzar III was a ruler of Babylon.He led a short lived rebellion against Darius I of Persia.His exact identity is uncertain...
) it could be straining credulity to say that they all were.
Aftermath
In the next year, another person claiming to be Bardiya, named Vahyazdāta rose against Darius in eastern Persia and met with great success. But he was finally defeated, taken prisoner and executed Perhaps he is identical with the King Maraphis "the Maraphian," name of a Persian tribe, who occurs as successor in the list of Persian kings given by AeschylusAeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
.
The real Bardiya had only one daughter, called Parmys
Parmys
Parmys was a Persian princess, the only daughter of Bardiya , son of Cyrus the Great. She was the grand daughter of Cyrus the Great, and Cassandane....
, who eventually married Darius the Great.
Some contracts dating from his reign have been found in Babylonia, where his name is spelt Barziya or Bardiya. Darius says that Bardiya destroyed some temples, which Darius later restored. Bardiya also took away the herds and houses of the people, which Darius corrected once he gained the throne.
The death of the false Bardiya was annually celebrated in Persia by a feast called “the killing of the magian," (Magiophani) at which no magian was allowed to show himself.
Bardiya in fiction
This episode is dealt with by Gore VidalGore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
in his novel Creation
Creation (novel)
Creation is an epic historical fiction novel by Gore Vidal which was published in 1981. In 2002, he published a restored version, adding four chapters that a previous editor had cut...
. He takes the view that the person who ruled for a few months was the real Bardiya.