Amytis of Media
Encyclopedia
Amuhia or Amytis of Media
(c. 630 - 565 BC) was the daughter or granddaughter of the king Cyaxares
, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II.
and his wife or to Cyaxares's son and daughter-in-law. It is not known whether medes was her father or grandfather.
n and Median dynasties
.
, as Nebuchadnezzar attempted to please her by planting the tree
s and plant
s of her homeland.
and Persian
female name, attested only in the Greek
form A´mytis, which perhaps may reflect (with vowel metathesis) an old Persian *Umati—equivalent to Avestan humaiti— “having good thought ”
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
(c. 630 - 565 BC) was the daughter or granddaughter of the king Cyaxares
Cyaxares
Cyaxares, Cyaxares the Great or Hvakhshathra , the son of King Phraortes, was the first king of Media. According to Herodotus, Cyaxares, grandson of Deioces, had a far greater military reputation than his father or grandfather, therefore he is often being described as the first official Median...
, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II.
Birth
Amytis was either born to CyaxaresCyaxares
Cyaxares, Cyaxares the Great or Hvakhshathra , the son of King Phraortes, was the first king of Media. According to Herodotus, Cyaxares, grandson of Deioces, had a far greater military reputation than his father or grandfather, therefore he is often being described as the first official Median...
and his wife or to Cyaxares's son and daughter-in-law. It is not known whether medes was her father or grandfather.
Marriage to Nebuchadnezzar II
Amytis married Nebuchadnezzar to formalize the alliance between the BabyloniaBabylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
n and Median dynasties
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
It is reported that Amytis' homesickness for the forested mountains of the Median Empire led to the construction of the Hanging Gardens of BabylonHanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered to be one of the greatest Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one of the Wonders which may in fact have been legendary. They were purportedly built in the ancient city-state of Babylon, near present-day Al Hillah, Babil, in Iraq...
, as Nebuchadnezzar attempted to please her by planting the tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s and plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s of her homeland.
Etymology
AMYTIS, MedianMedes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
female name, attested only in the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
form A´mytis, which perhaps may reflect (with vowel metathesis) an old Persian *Umati—equivalent to Avestan humaiti— “having good thought ”
Further reading
- Nos ancêtres de l'Antiquité, 1991, Christian SettipaniChristian SettipaniChristian Settipani is the Technical Director of an IT company in Paris and a genealogist and historian.He has a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Paris-Sorbonne University and is currently preparing his doctoral thesis, while he often gives lectures to students undergraduates at the...
, p. 152