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Artabanus of Persia

 

 
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Artabanus the Hyrcanian was a Persian political figure during the Achaemenid Dynasty who was reportedly Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 of Persia for a few months (465 BC - 464 BC).

Artabanus probably originated from the province of Hyrcania
Hyrcania

Hyrcania was the name of a satrapy located in the territories of present day Golestan Province, Mazandaran, Gilan and part of Turkmenistan, lands south of the Caspian Sea....
 and reportedly served as the chief official of Xerxes I. He is considered to have served either as his vizier
Vizier

A Vizier , is a term for a high-ranking political advisor or minister, often to a Muslim monarch such as a Caliph, or Sultan. It sometimes refers to ministers and advisors of the Persian Empire's Shahs....
 or as his head bodyguard
Bodyguard

A bodyguard is a type of security guard or government agent who protects a person?usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure?from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of Confidentiality, or other threats....
.

According to Aristotle
Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greeks philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, Poetics , theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology....
, Artabanus was responsible for the death of Crown Prince
Crown Prince

A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
 Darius.






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Artabanus the Hyrcanian was a Persian political figure during the Achaemenid Dynasty who was reportedly Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 of Persia for a few months (465 BC - 464 BC).

Artabanus probably originated from the province of Hyrcania
Hyrcania

Hyrcania was the name of a satrapy located in the territories of present day Golestan Province, Mazandaran, Gilan and part of Turkmenistan, lands south of the Caspian Sea....
 and reportedly served as the chief official of Xerxes I. He is considered to have served either as his vizier
Vizier

A Vizier , is a term for a high-ranking political advisor or minister, often to a Muslim monarch such as a Caliph, or Sultan. It sometimes refers to ministers and advisors of the Persian Empire's Shahs....
 or as his head bodyguard
Bodyguard

A bodyguard is a type of security guard or government agent who protects a person?usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure?from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of Confidentiality, or other threats....
.

According to Aristotle
Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greeks philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, Poetics , theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology....
, Artabanus was responsible for the death of Crown Prince
Crown Prince

A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
 Darius. He then became afraid that Xerxes would seek revenge
Revenge

Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group as a response to a wrongdoing. Although many aspects of revenge resemble the concept of justice, revenge connotes a more injurious and punishment focus as opposed to a harmonious and restorative one....
 and proceeded to assassinate
Assassination

Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure. Assassinations may be prompted by ideology, politics, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by contract killing, revenge, or celebrity or may be mental disorder....
 the King. On the other hand Junianus Justinus
Junianus Justinus

'Justin' was a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire. His name is mentioned only in the title of his own history, and there it is in the genitive, which would be M....
 reported that Artabanus had personal ambitions for the throne. He first secretly murdered Xerxes and then accused Darius of parricide
Parricide

Parricide stemming from is defined as:#the act of murdering one's father , mother , or other close relative#the act of murdering a person who stands in a relationship resembling that of a father...
, resulting in his execution. The order of events remain uncertain but Xerxes and Darius certainly left the throne vacant.

Artabanus' course of action is also uncertain. Some accounts have him usurping the throne for himself. Others consider him to have named young Artaxerxes I as King and to have acted as Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 and power behind the throne
Power behind the throne

The phrase power behind the throne refers to a person or cabal that informally exercises the real power of an office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a spouse, aide, or advisor of a political leader who serves as de facto leader, setting policy through influence or manipulation....
. This state of affairs would not last more than a few months. Artaxerxes reportedly slew him with his own sword, either in battle or by surprise. Artabanus is occasionally listed among the Kings of the Achaemenid dynasty though he was not related to them. As Artaxerxes is believed to be the inspiration for King Ahasuerus in the story of Purim
Purim

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Haman 's plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible Book of Esther ....
, Artabanus may have been the inspiration for Haman
Haman

Haman can be a surname which is a corruption of the German language Hamann. It is also a biblical surname as described below. It also refers to:...
 in the same story.

Classical sources

  • Aristotle
    Aristotle

    Aristotle was a Greeks philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, Poetics , theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology....
    , Politics 5.131Ib
  • Diodorus Siculus
    Diodorus Siculus

    Diodorus Siculus , was a Roman Greece historian who flourished in the 1st century BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agira in Sicily ....
    , Historical Library 11.69
  • Justin
    Justin

    Justin may refer to:* Justin , a common given name* Justin Martyr, early Christian apologist* Justin , 3rd century Roman historian* Justin I , or Flavius Iustinius Augustus, Eastern Roman Emperor who ruled from 518 to 527; founder of the Justinian dynasty and uncle of future emperor Justinian I...
    , Epitome
    Epitome

    An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment.Many documents from the Ancient Greek and Ancient Rome worlds survive now only "in epitome," referring to the practice of some later authors who wrote distilled versions of larger works now lost....
     of Philipic Histories of Pompeius Trogus     III 1
  • Photius, Epitome
    Epitome

    An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment.Many documents from the Ancient Greek and Ancient Rome worlds survive now only "in epitome," referring to the practice of some later authors who wrote distilled versions of larger works now lost....
     of Persica of Ctesias
    Ctesias

    Ctesias of Cnidus was a Hellenic civilization physician and historian from Cnidus in Caria. Ctesias, who flourished in the 5th century BC, was physician to Artaxerxes II, whom he accompanied in 401 BC on his expedition against his brother Cyrus the Younger....
     20
  • Plutarch
    Plutarch

    Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. AD 46 ? 120 ? commonly known in English as Plutarch ? was a Ancient Rome historian , biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonism....
    , Life of Themistocles 27