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See also:SMERDIS (Pers. Bardiya; by See also:Ctesias, Pers. 8, called Tanyoxarces; by See also:Xenophon, Cyrop. viii. 7. 11, who takes the name from Ctesias, Tanaoxares; by See also:Justin i. 9, Mergis; in See also:Aeschylus, Pers. 774, Mardos)
, a See also:Persian See also: 9 (from See also:Charon of See also:Lampsacus?), but given to his See also:brother (called by See also:Herodotus Patizeithes), who is said to have been the real See also:promoter of the intrigue; the true name of the usurper is here given as Oropastes; by Ctesias as Sphendadates . The See also:history of the false Smerdis is narrated by Herodotus and Ctesias according to See also:official traditions; Cambyses before his death confessed to the See also:murder of his brother, and in public explained the whole See also:fraud . But, as Darius said, nobody had the courage to oppose the new king, who ruled for seven months over the whole See also:empire . Some contracts dating from his reign have been found in Babylonia, where his name is spelt Barziya (for the See also:chronology cf . Ed . See also:Meyer, Forschungen zur See also: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 See also: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 See also:government to Media; and here in a See also:castle in the See also:district of Nisaya he was surprised and killed by Darius and his six associates in See also:October 521 . His death was annually celebrated in See also: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 See also:year, another pseudo-Smerdis, named Vahyazdata, See also: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 See also:list of Persian See also:kings given by See also:Aeschylus, Pers . 778) . See DARIUS (I.) and PERSIA, See also:Ancient History . (ED . |
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