Oroetus

Oroetus attending the crucifixion ofPolycrates(17th century painting, bySalvator Rosa).

Oroetus,orOroetes(Old Iranian:Arvita,Ancient Greek:Ὀροίτης), was a PersianSatrapofLydia(c. 530-520 BC), during the reigns ofCyrus the Great,CambysesandDarius the Great,succeedingHarpagus,and being followed byBagaeus.He is described byHerodotusin the third book of hisHistories,where he achieved notoriety for the death ofPolycrates,tyrant ofSamos:

What I will now relate happened about the time of Cambyses' sickness. The viceroy ofSardisappointed byCyruswas Oroetes, a Persian. This man purposed to do a great wrong; for though he had received no hurt by word or deed fromPolycrates of Samos,nor had even seen him, he formed the desire of seizing and killing him. The reason alleged by most was this: — As Oroetes and another Persian,Mitrobatesby name, governor of the province ofDascyleium,sat by the king's door, they fell from talk to wrangling and comparing of their several achievements: and Mitrobates taunted Oroetes, saying, "You are not to be accounted a man; the island ofSamoslies close to your province, yet you have not added it to the king's dominion — an island so easy to conquer that some native of it rose against his rulers with fifteen men at arms, and is now lord of it. Some say that Oroetes, angered by this taunt, was less desirous of punishing the utterer of it than of by all means destroying the reason of the reproach, namely Polycrates.

— Herodotus III, 120.

Oroetus became the first satrap recorded as demonstrating insubordination towards the central power of Persia. When Cambyses (ruled 530-522 BC), who succeeded his father Cyrus, died, the Persian Empire was in chaos prior toDarius the Great(522-486 BC) finally securing control. Oroetus defied Darius' orders to assist him, whereupon theAchaemenidnoblemanBagaeuswas sent by Darius to arrange his murder.

AfterCambyseshad died and the Magians won the kingship, Oroetes stayed in Sardis, where he in no way helped the Persians to regain the power taken from them by the Medes, but contrariwise; for in this confusion he slew two notable Persians, Mitrobates, the governor from Dascyleium, who had taunted him concerning Polycrates, and Mitrobates' son Cranaspes; and besides many other violent deeds, when a messenger fromDariuscame with a message which displeased him, he set an ambush by the way and killed that messenger on his journey homewards, and made away with the man's body and horse. So when Darius became king he was minded to punish Oroetes for all his wrongdoing, and chiefly for the killing of Mitrobates and his son.

— Herodotus III, 126-127.

Oroetus in Art

• 
  The crucifixion of Polycrates the tyrant after his capture by the Persian Oroetus (17th century).
• 
  Oroetus (detail).
• 
  The crucifixion ofPolycratesby Oroetus.

Sources

• Jona Lendering. Oroetus
• From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire,Pierre Briant,Eisenbrauns: 2002,ISBN978-1-57506-031-6