Arshama I.

Arsama I. (also Arsames I .; Old Persian Aršama , New Persian ارشام, Babylonian Aršamma , Elamish Iršama ; * around 630 BC) described himself as the king of the Persis region and became the grandfather of the Persian great king Darius I or Darius through his sons Ancestor of the Pharnacids .

origin

Arshama I came from the Persian royal house of the Achaemenids and was a son of King Ariaramna I , who ruled in the Persis region (roughly equivalent to today's Fars province). His name means: heroic .

Life

Information about campaigns has not yet been documented. Whether he was installed as regional ruler after the deposition of his father Ariaramnes I by the Median king Kyaxares II is still controversial today. In his inscription, which was found in Hamadan , Arshama I describes himself as King of Persia . The designation as King is very doubtful, because the former domination of the region Ariaramnes I. the field of Cyrus I fell. Possibly he was installed as satrap of Cyrus I. Since further confirming cuneiform evidence is missing, the possibility of a subsequent affixing of the inscription by Dareios I is not excluded. Darius I legitimized his reign with a royal lineage.

Arsama I is said to have received Zarathustra as the first ruler of the Achaemenids, who spread the doctrine of Zoroastrianism under his care . In the inscription of Arshama I, Ahura Mazda is expressly referred to as the supreme god for the first time .

progeny

King Arshama I had two known sons:

• Hystaspes , satrap of the province of Parthia , the father of Darius I , who rose to become Great King of the Persian Achaemenid Empire , and
• Pharnakes I , the progenitor of the Pharnacid dynasty .

family tree

Achaimenes 1st King, Regent of Persia

Teispes 2nd King, Regent of Persia

Ariaramna I. 3rd King, Regent of Persis

Cyrus I. 4th King, Regent of Anzhan

Arshama I. Regional Regent

Cambyses I. 5th King, Regent of Anjan

Hystaspes prince

Cyrus II. 6th King, Regent of Persia

Dareios I. 9th King, Regent of Persia

Cambyses II. 7th King, Regent of Persia

Bardiya 8th King, Regent of Persia (or Gaumata as Smerdis)

Artystone princess

Atossa princess

Roxane princess

Xerxes I. 10th King, Regent of Persia

Artaxerxes I. 11th King, Regent of Persia

literature

• Heidemarie Koch : Achaemenid Studies. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 3-447-03328-2 .
• Texts from the environment of the Old Testament : Volume 1 - Old Series. Gütersloh 1985.
• Josef Wiesehöfer : Ancient Persia 550 BC Chr to 650 AD Patmos, Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-96151-3 .

Web links

• Inscription of Arshama I.