Sparetra

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Sparetra is a mythical queen of the Saaks and the wife of King Amorges. According to Ktesias , Cyrus succeeded in capturing the king, but Sparetra gathered an army of 20,000 women and 30,000 men and was able to defeat the Persians. In the subsequent prisoner exchange, her husband was freed again. Then Amorges supported the Persians, came to Cyrus' aid when he was fighting the Derbiker and their Indian allies, and helped him to victory.

According to Herodotus (IX 71.1; 113.2) the Saks are Amyrgian Scythians and neighbors of the Bactrians , who had already submitted to Cyrus. The campaign took place in the extreme north of the Persian Empire . Whether it is a real person with Sparetra is controversial. Warlike women are documented for both the Scythians and the Sauromats . Diodor (II 34,3) reports on the warlike Saken Queen Zarina or Zarinaia, in whom some see the model of the Sparetra. Authors like Auberger believe that Ktesias only wanted to set a contrast to the scheming Persian court ladies .

literature

  • Janick Auberger: Ctésias et les femmes. In: DHA. Volume 19/2, 1993, pp. 253-272.
  • Janick Auberger: Ctésias et l'orient. Un original doué de raison. In: Topoi. Volume 5/2, 1995, pp. 337-352.