Otanes

Otanes(Old Persian:Utāna,Greek:Ὀτάνης) is a name given to several figures that appear in theHistoriesofHerodotus.One or more of these figures may be the same person.

In theHistories

Otanes, son of Pharnaspes

Phaedyme is sent by her father Otanes, to check if KingSmerdishas ears under his turban, as the suspected imposter was known to have had them cut off in punishment for a crime. She found that indeed the king did not have ears anymore, which proved that King Bardiya was an imposter, and justify the coup led byDarius I.

He was regarded as aPersiannobleman, being among the few with highest ranks in the kingdom, who was also a political philosopher.Histories3.68.1, 3.68.3, 3.69.6 has an Otanes as the son of theAchaemenidPharnaspes, as the father ofPhaidyme(or Phaedyma), who in turn is a wife ofCambyses II,and later a wife of theGaumataalias Smerdis. Herodotus gives this Otanes a role in the overthrow of the false Smerdis, andthisOtanes is therefore generally assumed to be identical to a known co-conspirator of Darius I, mentioned in Darius's own list of his helpers at overthrowing Gaumata (DB IV 83). TheBehistun inscriptionhas this Otanes as the son of Thukhra, in which case he could not have been the son of Pharnaspes, and so cannot have been a brother ofCassandane(who is said to have been the daughter of Pharnaspes inHistories2.1.1, 3.2.2), and thus also could not have been brother-in-law ofCyrus II.

Histories3.68.2 and 3.70 portrays this Otanes as the first person to suspect the king of not being the son of Cyrus, and that Otanes subsequently took the initiative to overthrow him. Supposedly, Otanes has his suspicions confirmed by his daughter Phaidyme, who—as one of the kings wives—establishes that the false Smerdis has no ears, thus identifying him as the same man whomCyrushad cut the ears off "for some grave reason" (3.69.6). Otanes then gathered five other noblemen and plots to get rid of the false Smerdis. A seventh nobleman,Darius,arrives at the capitalSusashortly thereafter, and was then included in the group. Following the overthrow of the false Smerdis, the seven co-conspirators hold a council to discuss the way forward (3.80–82). Otanes, speaking first, argues for turning the government over to the people, and for the principle of equality before the law (3.80.2, 3.83.1, 6.43.3,isonomíē).Megabyzusspoke next, urging that they resort to an oligarchy "of the best men,... ourselves among them" (3.81.3). The third to express his opinion was Darius, who argues for a monarchy. In a vote, the majority decides in favour of a monarchy. Otanes then renounces any claim to be king, asking only that he and his descendants be given their independence from royal rule (3.83). The others then hold a contest whereby whichever of them got his horse to neigh first after sunrise shall become king. Darius cheats and ascends the throne (3.84-3.87).

InHistories3.139-3.149, Otanes ( "one of the seven", 3.141.1) reappears as commander of Achaemenid troops during their recapture ofSamosforSyloson,the brother ofPolycrates.

Otanes, son of Sisamnes

Cambyses IIappointing Otanes as judge in place of his flayed fatherSisamnes,after a painting byPeter Paul Rubens.

Main article:Otanes (son of Sisamnes)

InHistories5 (Histories5.25-5.28),Herodotus speaks of an Otanes - a son of a previously mentionedSisamnes(3.31) - who served as a judge underCambyses IIand later under Darius I, and who following Darius' expedition against the "Scythians", and who succeeded Megabazus as the governor/supreme commander of the united forces of thepeoples of the Aegean(5.26.1), and who subjugatedByzantiumand other cities during theIonian revolt(5.123.1, 5.116.1). This Otanes married one of Darius' daughters (5.116.1).

Otanes inHistories7

InHistories7.40.4, an Otanes is named as the father ofXerxes'charioteer Patiramphes.

InHistories7.61.2, an Otanes - named as father of Amestris, one of Xerxes' wives - commands the forces of thePersisinXerxes' campaign against Greece.This Otanes is perhapsthe same Otanes as the one ofHistories3 and/or of 7.62.2 and/or of 7.82.1.

InHistories7.62.2, an Otanes (perhapsthe same Otanes as the one of 7.61.2 and/or of 7.82.1) is father of Anaphes, the commander of theCissians.

InHistories7.82.1, an Otanes (perhapsthe same Otanes as the one of 7.61.2 and/or of 7.62.2) is father of Smerdomenes, one of the six commanders of infantry.

Legacy

As a figurative defender of democracy inGreek literature,the Otanes ofHistories3.68-3.87 has been used as a point of reference in a number of subsequent political discussions.Jean-Jacques Rousseaurefers to Otanes in his notes toDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality.Otanes is also mentioned in Isaiah Berlin's seminal lecture "Two Concepts of Liberty":"As for Otanes, he wished neither to rule nor to be ruled — the exact opposite of Aristotle's notion of true civic liberty ".Otanes has his own conception of freedom.

Otanes also appears in certain works of fiction and drama.James Baldwinfictionalizes the childhood of Otanes in his short story, "The Boy and The Robbers" from his book,Fifty Famous People,a book of short stories ".In addition, the Dutch TV movieVolk en vaderliefde('People and Fatherly Love', 1976) is about Otanes and the coup.

Sources

• Herodotus (1862).History of Herodotus, Volume 2.pp. 384–396.