Damaspia
Damaspia | |
---|---|
Queen of Persia | |
Died | 424 BC |
Spouse | Artaxerxes I |
Issue | Xerxes II |
House | Achaemenid |
Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Damaspia(fromOld Persian*Jāmāspi-[1]or *ðāmāspyā-[2]) was an Achaemenid queen, wife of the kingArtaxerxes Iand mother ofXerxes II,his legitimate heir.
Biography
[edit]According to the Greek historianCtesias of Cnidus,King Artaxerxes and his wife died the same day (424 BC, perhaps during a military expedition), and their corpses were carried to Persia. Xerxes succeeded his father, but was murdered not much later (423 BC) by his half-brotherSogdianus.
Theepitomemade byPhotiusof Ctesias' book is the only source that mentions Damaspia by name.[3]Documents fromBabylondating in Artaxerxes' reign, refer to certainestatesas "the house of the woman of the palace". This anonymous woman could be Damaspia, or thequeen motherAmestris.[4]In an episode from the biblical book ofNehemiah(2:6) Artaxerxes is mentioned as being in the company of a royal wife, who could be identified with Damaspia or a consort of lower rank.[5][6]
Notes
[edit]- ^Schmitt.
- ^Hinz.
- ^"Photius' excerpt of Ctesias' Persica (2)".livius.org.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-12-05.
- ^Brosus, pp. 127, 129.
- ^Eskenazi 2000, pp. 285-286
- ^"Nehemiah 2:6 Commentaries: Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him," How long will your journey be, and when will you return? "So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time".biblehub.Retrieved2021-06-23.
References
[edit]- Brosius, M:Women in Ancient Persia, 559-331 BC,Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998.
- Schmitt, R: "Damaspia", inEncyclopaedia Iranica.[1]
- Hinz, W:Altiranisches Sprachgut der Nebenüberlieferungen,Wiesbaden, 1975