Cassandane
Encyclopedia
Cassandane was an Achaemenian Persian noblewoman and the "dearly loved" wife of Cyrus the Great
. She was a daughter of Pharnaspes. She bore four children for Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II): Cambyses II who succeeded his father and conquered Egypt, Smerdis (Bardiya
) who also reigned as the king of Persia for a short time, a daughter name Atossa
later to wed Darius the Great (Darius I), and another daughter whose name is not identified.
Her daughter Atossa
later played an important role in Achaemenid royal family, as she married Darius the Great and bore him the next Achaemenian king Xerxes I. Cassandane's daughter, Atossa, had a "great authority" in the Achaemenian royal house and her marriage with Darius I is suggested to be because of her power and influence and also the fact that she was a direct descendent of Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II).
When Cassandane died all the nations of Cyrus' Persian empire observed "a great mourning". This is reported by Herodotus. According to a report in the chronicle of Nabonidus there was a public mourning after her death in Babylonia lasting for six days. According to a suggestion by M. Boyce, Cassandane's tomb is located at Pasargadae
.
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...
. She was a daughter of Pharnaspes. She bore four children for Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II): Cambyses II who succeeded his father and conquered Egypt, Smerdis (Bardiya
Bardiya
Bardiya was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life, he may have ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BCE, or he may have been impersonated by a magus called Gaumata. -Name and sources:The...
) who also reigned as the king of Persia for a short time, a daughter name Atossa
Atossa
Atossa was an Achaemenid queen and daughter of Cyrus the Great and his wife, Cassandane...
later to wed Darius the Great (Darius I), and another daughter whose name is not identified.
Her daughter Atossa
Atossa
Atossa was an Achaemenid queen and daughter of Cyrus the Great and his wife, Cassandane...
later played an important role in Achaemenid royal family, as she married Darius the Great and bore him the next Achaemenian king Xerxes I. Cassandane's daughter, Atossa, had a "great authority" in the Achaemenian royal house and her marriage with Darius I is suggested to be because of her power and influence and also the fact that she was a direct descendent of Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II).
When Cassandane died all the nations of Cyrus' Persian empire observed "a great mourning". This is reported by Herodotus. According to a report in the chronicle of Nabonidus there was a public mourning after her death in Babylonia lasting for six days. According to a suggestion by M. Boyce, Cassandane's tomb is located at Pasargadae
Pasargadae
Pasargadae , the capital of Cyrus the Great and also his last resting place, was a city in ancient Persia, and is today an archaeological site and one of Iran's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-History:...
.