SMERDIS (Pers. Bardiya; by

See also:

• CTESIAS

Ctesias, Pers. 8, called Tanyoxarces; by

See also:

• XENOPHON

Xenophon, Cyrop. viii. 7. 11, who takes the name from Ctesias, Tanaoxares; by

See also:

• JUSTIN (JUNIANUS JUSTINUS)

Justin i. 9, Mergis; in

See also:

• AESCHYLUS (525–456 B.c.)

Aeschylus, Pers. 774, Mardos)  , a Persian king of infamous memory; the prevalent Greek form Smerdis has assimilated the Persian name to the Greek (Asiatic) name Smerdis or Smerdies, which occurs in the poems of Alcaeus and Anacreon . Smerdis was the younger son of Cyrus the Great who, according to Ctesias, on his deathbed appointed him governor of the eastern provinces (cf . Xen . Cyrop. viii . 7, 11) . Before Cambyses set out to Egypt, he secretly caused him to be murdered (Darius in the Behistun Inscr. i . 10), being afraid that he might attempt a rebellion during his absence . His death was not known to the people, and so in the spring of 522 a usurper pretended to be Smerdis and proclaimed himself king on a mountain near the Persian town Pishiyauvada . Owing to the despotic rule of Cambyses and his long absence in Egypt, " the whole people, Persians, Medes and all the other nations," acknowledged the usurper, especially as he granted a remission of taxes for three years (Herod. iii . 68) . Cambyses began to march against him, but seeing that his cause was hopeless, killed himself in the spring of 521 (but see further CAMBYSES) . The real name of the usurper was, as Darius tells us, Gaumata, a Magian priest from Media; this name has been preserved by Justin i .

9 (from

Charon of Lampsacus?), but given to his brother (called by Herodotus Patizeithes), who is said to have been the real promoter of the intrigue; the true name of the usurper is here given as Oropastes; by Ctesias as Sphendadates . The history of the false Smerdis is narrated by Herodotus and Ctesias according to official traditions; Cambyses before his death confessed to the murder of his brother, and in public explained the whole fraud . But, as Darius said, nobody had the courage to oppose the new king, who ruled for seven months over the whole empire . Some contracts dating from his reign have been found in Babylonia, where his name is spelt Barziya (for the chronology cf . Ed . Meyer, Forschungen zur alien Geschichte, ii . 472 ff.) . Darius says that he destroyed some temples, which Darius restored, and took away the herds and houses of the people (Behistun Inscr. i . 14) . We have no means of explaining this statement, nor can we fully understand all the incidents connected with his usurpation; but the attempts of modern authors to prove that Gaumata in reality was the genuine Smerdis and Darius a usurper have failed . It is certain that Smerdis transferred the seat of government to Media; and here in a castle in the district of Nisaya he was surprised and killed by Darius and his six associates in October 521 . His death was annually celebrated in Persia by a feast called " the killing of the magian," at which no magian was allowed to show himself (Herod. iii .

79, Ctes . Pers . 15) . In the next

year, another pseudo-Smerdis, named Vahyazdata, rose against Darius in eastern Persia and met with great success . But he was finally defeated, taken prisoner and executed (Behistun Inscr. iii . 40 ff.; perhaps he is identical with the King Maraphis " the Maraphian," name of a Persian tribe,who occurs as successor in the list of Persian kings given by Aeschylus, Pers . 778) . See DARIUS (I.) and PERSIA, Ancient History . (ED .