Otanes | |
|---|---|
 Otanes son of Sisamnes, according to Peter Paul Rubens. | |
| Native name | Otanes |
| Allegiance | Achaemenid Empire |
| Years of service | Circa 500 BC |
| Rank | Judge, later Satrap of Lydia |
| Battles/wars | Ionian revolt |
Otanes (Old Persian: Utāna, Greek: Ὀτάνης), son of Sisamnes, was an Achaemenid judge and later Satrap of Ionia during the reign of Darius the Great, circa 500 BC.
Career
Otanes first replaced his father as judge, when the latter was condemned for corruption by Cambyses II. He later took on military responsibilities under Darius, that led him to have an important role in suppressing the Ionian Revolt. In Histories 5 (Histories 5.25-5.28),[1] Herodotus speaks of an Otanes - a son of a previously mentioned Sisamnes (3.31) - who served as a judge under Cambyses II and later under Darius I, who followed the European Scythian campaign of Darius I, and became governor in Asia Minor:
First, however, (Darius) made Otanes governor of the people on the coast. Otanes' father Sisamnes had been one of the royal judges, and Cambyses had cut his throat and flayed off all his skin because he had been bribed to give an unjust judgment.
— Herodotus 5.25.[2]
Ionian revolt
Otanes succeeded Megabazus as the governor/supreme commander of the united forces of the peoples of the Aegean (5.26.1), and subjugated Byzantium and other cities during the Ionian revolt (5.123.1, 5.116.1).
According to Herodotus:
This Otanes, then, who sat upon that seat, was now made successor to Megabazus in his governorship. He captured Byzantium, Calchedon, Antandrus in the Troad, and Lamponium, and with ships he had taken from the Lesbians, he took Lemnos and Imbros, both of which were still inhabited by Pelasgians.[1]
According to Herodotus, this Otanes also married one of Darius' daughters (5.116.1):
"Daurises, Hymaees, and Otanes, all of them Persian generals and married to daughters of Darius, pursued those Ionians who had marched to Sardis, and drove them to their ships. After this victory they divided the cities among themselves and sacked them."
— Herodotus 5.116[5]
"Otanes" is a name given to several figures that appear in the Histories of Herodotus. One or more of these figures may be the same person.
References
- ^ a b Perseus Under Philologic: Hdt. 5.25.1. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Herodotus, The Histories, Book 5, chapter 25.
- ^ Metropolitan Museum of Art
- ^ Thronus Iustitiae. British Museum.
- ^ Herodotus V, 116
Sources
- Herodotus (1862). History of Herodotus, Volume 2. pp. 384–396.
Achaemenid Satraps of Lydia (546–334 BC) | |
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Rulers in the Achaemenid Empire | ||
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Family tree - Achaemenid Kingdom | ||
| Kings of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire |  | |
| Satraps of Lydia | ||
| Satraps of Hellespontine Phrygia | ||
| Satraps of Cappadocia | ||
| Greek Governors of Asia Minor cities | ||
| Dynasts of Lycia | ||
| Dynasts of Caria | ||
| Kings of Macedonia | ||
| Kings of Tyre | ||
| Kings of Sidon |
| |
| Satraps of Armenia | ||
| Satraps of Egypt | ||
| Satraps of Bactria | ||
| Satraps of Media | ||
| Satraps of Cilicia | ||
| Other known satraps | ||
In most territories, Achaemenid rulers were succeeded by Hellenistic satraps and Hellenistic rulers from around 330 BC | ||
This page was last edited on 4 November 2023, at 02:35