Megabazus
Megabazus | |
---|---|
![]() Megabazus was son of Megabates.[1] | |
Native name | Bakabadus |
Allegiance | Achaemenid Empire |
Battles/wars | European Scythian campaign of Darius I Darius' Thracian campaign Unknown others |
Children | Megabates[2] Oebares II Bubares Pherendates[3] |
Relations | Megabates(father) |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Hellespontine_Phrygia.jpg/300px-Hellespontine_Phrygia.jpg)
Megabazus(Old Persian:BagavazdāorBagabāzu,Ancient Greek:Μεγαβάζος and Μεγάβυζος), son ofMegabates,was a highly regardedPersiangeneral underDarius,to whom he was a first-degree cousin. Most of the information about Megabazus comes fromThe HistoriesbyHerodotus.
Scythian campaign (513 BC)
[edit]Megabazus led the army of the Persian KingDarius Iin 513 BC during hisEuropean Scythian campaign.After this had to be discontinued without result, Megabazos was left as commander-in-chief of an 80,000-man army in Europe, with the mission of subjugating the Greek cities on theHellespont.The Persian troops first subjugated gold-richThraceafter capturingPerinthosand the coastal Greek cities, and then defeated the powerfulPaeonians,many of whom he deported toPhrygia.[6][7]
Subjugation of Macedon
[edit]Finally, Megabazus sent envoys toAmyntas I,king ofMacedon,demanding acceptance of Persian domination, which the king accepted.[8][7]Megabazus received the present of "Earth and Water"from Amyntas, which symbolised submission to the Achaemenid Emperor.[9]Amyntas then acted ashyparchtoDarius I.[10]
Disagreements arose when the members of the Persian delegation insulting the Macedonians by fraternising with their wives. The Macedonian prince Alexander I reacted to this by murdering several Persian diplomats and their followers. The conflict was later settled with the marriage of one of Megabazus' sons,Bubares,to the Macedonian princessGygaia,a daughter of Amyntas.[9][1]
After his return to Asia Minor, Megabazus received the governorship of the province (satrapy) ofHellespontine Phrygiaand was based in its capitalDaskyleion.
Rivalry with Histiaeus
[edit]Megabazus was suspicious ofHistiaeus,tyrant ofMiletus,and advised Darius to bring him to the Persian capital ofSusato keep a closer eye on him. His suspicions turned out to be well founded as Histiaeus provoked a revolt in the town of which he was formally in charge and later sided with the Greeks against Persia. The successor to Megabazus' command wasOtanes (son of Sisamnes).[11]
Family
[edit]According to Herodotus (Herodotus 6.33)Oebareswas a son of Megabazus, and becamesatrapofDaskyleion(Hellespontine Phrygia) in 493 BC.[12][1]
Megabateswas another son of Megabazus. He was a commander of the Achaemenid fleet that sailed againstNaxosin 500/499 BC. He also was Satrap ofDaskyleionin the early 470s.[1][13]
Sons
[edit]- Oebares:became satrap ofDaskyleionc. 493 BC
- Bubares:managing engineer of theAthos CanalofXerxes I
- Megabates:Achaemenid fleet commander and satrap of Daskyleion
- Pherendates:died c. 485 BC while satrap of Egypt.
References
[edit]- ^abcdFoundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica."Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.
- ^"Megabazus - Livius".livius.org.
- ^"Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor".asiaminor.ehw.gr.
- ^"DNa - Livius".livius.org.
- ^Olbrycht, Marck Jan (2010)."Macedonia and Persia".In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.).A Companion to Ancient Macedonia.Oxford, Chichester, & Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 343–344.ISBN978-1-4051-7936-2.
- ^Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (7 July 2011).A Companion to Ancient Macedonia.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN9781444351637.Retrieved17 December2014.
- ^ab"Persian influence on Greece (2)".Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2020.Retrieved17 December2014.
- ^Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (7 July 2011).A Companion to Ancient Macedonia.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN9781444351637.Retrieved17 December2014.
- ^abWaters, Matt (2014).Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE.Cambridge University Press. p. 83.ISBN9781107009608.
- ^King, Carol J. (2017).Ancient Macedonia.Routledge. p. 27.ISBN9781351710329.
- ^"Perseus Under Philologic: Hdt. 5.25.1".Archived fromthe originalon 2020-03-10.Retrieved2019-01-13.
- ^"LacusCurtius • Herodotus — Book VI: Chapters 1‑42".penelope.uchicago.edu.
- ^Thucydides, 1.129; Herodotus, 5.32-35, 6.32