Cambyses I of Anshan
Encyclopedia
Cambyses I or Cambyses the Elder (via Latin from Greek
; Old Persian: Kambūjiya, c. 600 BC–559 BC) was king of Anshan
in Iran
from c. 580 to 559 BC and the father of Cyrus the Great
(Cyrus II). He should not be confused with his better-known grandson Cambyses II.
Cambyses was an early member of the Achaemenid dynasty. He was apparently a great-grandson of its founder Achaemenes
, grandson of Teispes and son of Cyrus I. His paternal uncle was Ariaramnes and his first cousin was Arsames.
According to Herodotus
, Cambyses was "a man of good family and quiet habits". He reigned under the overlordship of Astyages
, King of Media
. He was reportedly married to Princess
Mandane of Media
, a daughter to Astyages and Princess
Aryenis
of Lydia. His wife was reportedly a granddaughter to both Cyaxares
of Media
and Alyattes II
of Lydia
. The result of their marriage was the birth of his successor Cyrus the Great
. According to Nicolas of Damascus his original name was Atradates, and he was wounded and later died in the Battle of the Persian Border which he, with his son, fought against Astyages. It occurred in about 551 BC, and he is reported to have received an honorable burial.
According to Herodotus
, Astyages chose Cambyses as a son-in-law because he considered him to pose no threat to the Median throne. This was not the case with Cyrus the Great who would go on to depose his grandfather, and begin the Persian Empire
.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
; Old Persian: Kambūjiya, c. 600 BC–559 BC) was king of Anshan
Anshan (Persia)
Anshan - History :Before 1973, when it was identified as Tall-i Malyan, Anshan had been assumed by scholars to be somewhere in the central Zagros mountain range....
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
from c. 580 to 559 BC and the father of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
(Cyrus II). He should not be confused with his better-known grandson Cambyses II.
Cambyses was an early member of the Achaemenid dynasty. He was apparently a great-grandson of its founder Achaemenes
Achaemenes
Achaemenēs was the eponymous ancestor of the Achaemenid Dynasty, who ruled Persia between 705 BC and 675 BC.The name is a bahuvrihi compound literally translating to "having a friend's mind", or "characterized by a follower's spirit"....
, grandson of Teispes and son of Cyrus I. His paternal uncle was Ariaramnes and his first cousin was Arsames.
According to Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, Cambyses was "a man of good family and quiet habits". He reigned under the overlordship of Astyages
Astyages
Astyages Astyages Astyages (spelled by Herodotus as Ἀστυάγης - Astyages; by Ctesias as Astyigas; by Diodorus as Aspadas; Akkadian: Ištumegu, was the last king of the Median Empire, r...
, King of Media
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
. He was reportedly married to Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
Mandane of Media
Mandane of Media
Mandane of Media was a princess of Media and, later, the Queen consort of Cambyses I of Anshan and mother of Cyrus the Great, ruler of the Persia's Achaemenid Dynasty.-Mandane in Herodotus' histories:...
, a daughter to Astyages and Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
Aryenis
Aryenis
Aryenis of Lydia was, according to Herodotus, the daughter of King Alyattes II of Lydia and the sister of King Croesus of Lydia.Aryenis was also the Queen consort of Astyages, King of Media and mother of Mandane of Media and a probable Amytis, married to her nephew Cyrus the Great...
of Lydia. His wife was reportedly a granddaughter to both 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...
of Media
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Alyattes II
Alyattes II
Alyattes, king of Lydia , considered to be the founder of the Lydian empire, was the son of Sadyattes, of the house of the Mermnadae....
of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
. The result of their marriage was the birth of his successor Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
. According to Nicolas of Damascus his original name was Atradates, and he was wounded and later died in the Battle of the Persian Border which he, with his son, fought against Astyages. It occurred in about 551 BC, and he is reported to have received an honorable burial.
According to Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, Astyages chose Cambyses as a son-in-law because he considered him to pose no threat to the Median throne. This was not the case with Cyrus the Great who would go on to depose his grandfather, and begin the Persian Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
.