Darius (media)

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Darius the Medes was a ruler mentioned in the biblical book of Daniel who appears at the end of the 70-year exile of the Jews in Babylon . There are few clear statements about his identity.

After the conquest of Babylon (539 BC) by the army of the Persian Cyrus II , he is said to have become the Chaldean king. As the biblical statement from the book of Daniel ( Dan 6,1  Lut ) can be seen, he was 62 years old at this time and then took over the official duties of his predecessor Belshazzar . In chapter 9 ( Dan 9,1  Lut ) Darius is referred to as the son of Ahasuerus . Ahasuerus, also mentioned in the book of Esther ( Est 1  Lut ), is mostly identified with Xerxes.

The Bible account also provides further information about Darius. In the book of Daniel chapter 6 ( Dan 6,29  Lut ) the names Darius and Cyrus are next to each other. So one can assume that from the point of view of the scribe, Darius and Cyrus cannot have been one and the same person, since there is talk of “King Darius” and a “Persian King Cyrus”. Since Cyrus was without question the Persian king, Darius had to be a different king.

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From cuneiform texts show that Cyrus did not accept the title of "king of Babylon" immediately after the conquest of Babylon; Historians assume that Cyrus conferred this title on a vassal , also known as a satrap , who became its governor in Babylon. According to the Bible report, Dareios appointed 120 satraps (governors) over the former kingdom of Babylon. Moreover, in ancient times the title “king” was not only applied to monarchs , but also to regional rulers, governors or vassals. Some historians identify a man named Gubaru with Darius , but Gobryas I could also be considered. Gubaru was appointed governor in Babylon by Cyrus and, according to ancient sources, he ruled with great power and independence, so that the term “king” would fit him and that “Darius” is just another ruler title in the sense of the Persian meaning - “the mighty” - represents.

In this case, Darius the Medes should not be confused with the eponymous kings of the Achaemenid dynasty , Darius I , Darius II and Darius III.

Since the majority of current research believes that the book of Daniel was not published until the middle of the 2nd century BC. BC, but it is also conceivable that the unknown author of the text was not reliably oriented about the history of the 6th century and confused Darius / Dareios with Cyrus II .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William H. Shea: Darius The Mede: An Update. Andrews University Seminary Studies. Autumn 1982. Volume 20, No. 3, pp. 229-247.
  2. ^ Encyclopaedia Iranica. Article Gobryas 1. , see also “Ugbaru” in the articles Gutians and Babylonia i.
personal data
SURNAME Darius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dareios the Medes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chaldean king
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century BC BC or 6th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 6th century BC Chr.