Spargapises
Encyclopedia
Spargapises was a Massagetae
general and son of the rebellious Massagetae queen Tomyris
. Most of what history recounts of him is based on Herodotus
's The Histories. Spargapises is part of the Massagetae forces that battled against Cyrus the Great
. Little is known of his life aside from his contact with Cyrus during Cyrus's campaign to Araxes. Spargapises is eventually captured by the Persians and is granted freedom and a pardon by Cyrus the Great after a short period of incarcation. He would however eventually commit suicide after having learned of his blunder.
(Cyrus II of Persia) and Croesus
offered the Massagetae, a treaty of peace via the marriage of Cyrus to the Massagetae queen Tomyris. Tomyris having turned down the offer, would then send a strongly worded letter to Cyrus warning him from any advancement. Cyrus would however in an attempt to bring peace and order to the northern territories of the growing Persian empire advance toward Araxes with the Persian army around 530 B.C.E. With the advice of Croseus, Cyrus would leave behind a small group of Persians and set up a banquet. The Massagetians would attack and slaughter this small pocket of Persian resistance and would then gorge themselves on the food and wine. Among them is Spargapises who also drinks himself to inebriation and satiation.
Once Cyrus and Croesus return, they battle the Massagetian force defeating them and capturing Spargapises. When Spargapises realizes of his armie's blunder and his own mistake, he begs Cyrus for freedom, to which Cyrus responds and orders that he is set free. Once free, Spargapises, commits suicide by impaling himself having learned of his intoxication and defeat. Spargapises's behavior, including his intoxication, suicide, and lack of maturity when compared to that of Cyrus the Great, has led some scholars to term him adulescentulum filium.
Massagetae
The Massageteans or Massagetaeans were an Iranian nomadic confederation in antiquity known primarily from the writings of Herodotus. Their name was probably akin to Thyssagetae.-Name:...
general and son of the rebellious Massagetae queen Tomyris
Tomyris
Tomyris, from the Persian تهمرییش Tahm-Rayiš, was a queen who reigned over the Massagetae, an Iranic people of Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea, in approximately 530 BC.- History :...
. Most of what history recounts of him is based on Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
's The Histories. Spargapises is part of the Massagetae forces that battled against 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...
. Little is known of his life aside from his contact with Cyrus during Cyrus's campaign to Araxes. Spargapises is eventually captured by the Persians and is granted freedom and a pardon by Cyrus the Great after a short period of incarcation. He would however eventually commit suicide after having learned of his blunder.
Background
Cyrus the GreatCyrus 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...
(Cyrus II of Persia) and Croesus
Croesus
Croesus was the king of Lydia from 560 to 547 BC until his defeat by the Persians. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Hellenes, providing a fixed point in their calendar. "By the fifth century at least," J.A.S...
offered the Massagetae, a treaty of peace via the marriage of Cyrus to the Massagetae queen Tomyris. Tomyris having turned down the offer, would then send a strongly worded letter to Cyrus warning him from any advancement. Cyrus would however in an attempt to bring peace and order to the northern territories of the growing Persian empire advance toward Araxes with the Persian army around 530 B.C.E. With the advice of Croseus, Cyrus would leave behind a small group of Persians and set up a banquet. The Massagetians would attack and slaughter this small pocket of Persian resistance and would then gorge themselves on the food and wine. Among them is Spargapises who also drinks himself to inebriation and satiation.
Once Cyrus and Croesus return, they battle the Massagetian force defeating them and capturing Spargapises. When Spargapises realizes of his armie's blunder and his own mistake, he begs Cyrus for freedom, to which Cyrus responds and orders that he is set free. Once free, Spargapises, commits suicide by impaling himself having learned of his intoxication and defeat. Spargapises's behavior, including his intoxication, suicide, and lack of maturity when compared to that of Cyrus the Great, has led some scholars to term him adulescentulum filium.