Darius (4th-century BC) was an Achaemenid prince, the eldest son of Artaxerxes II of Persia by his consort Stateira.[1]
According to Plutarch's Life of Artaxerxes, Darius was recognised at the age of fifty as co-regent and heir-apparent to his father.[2][3] While in this role, according to custom, Darius could request a boon from the king. He asked to be given the latter's concubine, Aspasia of Phocaea. Artaxerxes initially agreed, though later changed his mind and subsequently made Aspasia a priestess of Anahita at Ecbatana, removing her from Darius' reach.[1]
Angered, Darius plotted to assassinate his father, working alongside the noble Tiribazus, who had previously been denied the king's daughters in marriage. Many of Darius' half-brothers were also involved in the conspiracy. However, a eunuch forewarned Artaxerxes, who had Darius arrested and tried. When the judges condemned him to death, Darius was brought before the king. The prince requested clemency, though Artaxerxes grabbed Darius by the hair and cut his neck himself. Several courtiers, as well as fifty of Darius' half-brothers and their families, were also killed. Among Darius' family, only one infant was spared.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Llewellyn-Jones 2022.
- ^ Schmitt 2011.
- ^ a b Waters 2014, p. 193.
Sources
edit- Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd (2022), "Violent Delights Have Violent Ends", Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, London: Headline Publishing Group, ISBN 978-1-5416-0035-5
- Schmitt, Rüdiger (2011) [1986]. "ARTAXERXES II". iranicaonline.org. Encyclopædia Iranica. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- Waters, Matt (2014), Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE, New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 193