Dareios

Also known as: Dareios the Persian · Family: Persian · Role: king · First appears: Book 1 · §183–189

Before taking the throne, Hystaspes (father of Dareios) crossed the Araxes to keep watch over him. In a later dispute at the temple of Hephaistos, a priest refused Dareios permission to set up a statue beside Sesostris’s, saying his deeds did not equal the Egyptian king’s. At Susa, Dareios joined Otanes, Aspathines, Gobryas, Intaphrenes, Megabyzos and Hydarnes in a plan against the Magian. The seven pledged faith to one another, and Dareios urged them to act that day; he and Gobryas took part in killing the Magian. After the horse-selection, Dareios was declared king.

As king, Dareios established twenty satrapies and appointed rulers to collect tribute. He married Atossa, Artystone and Parmys, and ordered an expedition against Oroites. When he injured his foot hunting, Demokedes treated him; Dareios later sent Persians with him to investigate Hellas. He also besieged Babylon for a year and seven months. With Zopyros (elder)’s aid, he conquered the city again, impaled about three thousand leading Babylonians, and returned the city to the rest; he granted Zopyros Babylon to rule free from tribute.

Dareios crossed into Europe and campaigned through Thrace, but during the Scythian expedition he retreated toward the Ister after accepting Gobryas’s counsel. He later summoned Histiaios and Coës to Sardis to offer rewards, and appointed Artaphrenes governor there. After his death, the throne passed to his son Xerxes, whom he had designated as king; Dareios had reigned for thirty-six years.