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[German version] A hail of arrows fired backwards by mounted Parthian archers while pretending to flee (cf. Just. Epit. 41,2,7: “saepe etiam fugam simulant, ut incautiores adversum vulnera insequentes habeant” ("often, too, they pretend flight, that they may make their pursuers less careful of being wounded"). There are also depictions of the Parthian shot, for instance on Chinese reliefs from the Han period (206 BC to AD 220). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 H. von Gall, Das Reiterkampfbild in der iranischen und iranisch beeinflußten Kunst parthischer und sas…

[German version] (Πατιζείθης/ Pathizeíthēs Hdt. 3,61ff.; Πανζούθης/ Panzoúthēs Dionysius of Miletus, Schol. Hdt. 3,61 FGrH 687 F 2; identical to Παζάτης/ Pazátēs in Xanthus the Lydian; Πατζάτης/ Patzátēs Chron. pasch. 270?). According to Hdt. 3,61, a mágos who in 521 BC persuaded his brother Smerdis (Gaumāta) to rebel against Cambyses [2] II and was killed by Darius [1] I. Just. Epit. 1,9,9f. cites his name as Oropastes. P. should be interpreted as a title, although it is etymologically unclear (the same as the later πιτιάχης/ Pitiáchēs, Middle Persian btḥšy: "viceroy"?). Wiesehö…

[German version] (Μαργιανή/ Margianḗ < Ancient Persian Marguš > New Persian Marv). Fertile eastern Iranian country through which the Murġāb flows (Ptol. 6,10,1; Plin. HN 6,16; Str. 2,1,14; 11,10,1; in the Avesta M. is regarded as one of the most beautiful of countries created by Ahura Mazdā) in modern Turkmenistan. Ptol. 6,10 names the Derbicci, Massageti, Parni, Daae and Topuri as inhabitants of M. and also mentions individual cities, among which Antioch [7] Margiane (Giaur-Qala with the original Achaeme…

[German version] (Persian Nehāvand). City in Iran, south of the Alvand mountains in the Zagros range (Media). In this region (Tepe Giyan), which was already of importance in prehistoric times, the Seleucids founded the pólis Laodiceia(-N.), where a copy of the dynastic cult inscription of Antiochus [5] III was found. A Sassanid army was defeated by the Arabs near N. in AD 642, when N. was the main city of the district and diocese. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography L. Robert, Inscriptions séleucides de Phrygie et d'Iran, in: Hellenica 7, 1949, 5-22.

(Ῥοδογούνη/ Rhodogoúnē). [German version] [1] Mother of Darius I Wife of Hystaspes [2], mother of Darius [1] I (Suda and Harpocr., s. v.). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) [German version] [2] Daughter of Darius [1] I Daughter of Darius [1] I? (Hier. Adversus Iovinianum 1,45; PL 23, p. 287). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) [German version] [3] Daughter of Xerxes I Daughter of Xerxes I (Ctes. FGrH 688 F 13). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) [German version] [4] Daughter of Artaxerxes [2] II Daughter of Artaxerxes [2] II, wife of Orontes [2] I (Plut. Artaxerxes 27,7; cf. Xen. An. 2,4,8) an…

[German version] Site of ruins high in the Baḫtiyiārī Mountains (in Iran), c. 25 km north of the city of Īẕe (Malāmīr), in ancient Elymais. Among the numerous Hellenistic marble and bronze fragments found in a sanctuary, a bronze statue, somewhat over life size and almost completely preserved, is particularly noteworthy: it is as yet the only surviving large-scale representation in three dimensions of an Arsacid dignitary (prince?) (2nd cent. AD). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 V.S. Curtis, The Parthian Costume and Headdress, in: J. Wiesehöfer (ed.), Das Partherreic…

[German version] Chinese name of a 'nomadic people' with an original settlement area between the Qilian chain of mountains and Dunhuang, the starting point of the Silk Road in northwestern China. Driven from there between 176/174 and 161 BC at the command of Maodun, khan of the Xiongnu, the Y. turned west and in turn subjugated the Sai tribes (Sacae). Shortly afterwards, expelled from the Sai pasture lands in the Ili Basin and on Lake Ysyk by the Wusun, a subject people of the Xiongnu, the Y. foll…

[German version] ( Kūh-ī Xvāgah, Kūh-i Ḫvāǧah). Basalt mountain on an island in Lake Hāmūn in Drangiana/Iran. On its south-eastern slope is a site with ruins of impressive courtyards, gates, towers and rooms, at the earliest from the Parthian period but probably rather from the Sassanid and post-Sassanid period (Ġāga Šahr). Numerous rooms were richly decorated with stucco ornaments and above all with colourful frescos showing Graeco-Roman, Iranian and Indian stylistic elements and representing religi…

[German version] (Σατάσπης; Satáspēs). According to Hdt. 4,43 a maternal nephew of Darius [1] I, who was to be impaled for the violation of the daughter of Zopyrus. He was released upon the intercession of his mother, and as atonement he was given the task of circumnavigating Libya (Africa). He started from Egypt and left the Mediterranean through the 'Pillars of Heracles' (i.e. the Straits of Gibraltar), but turned back without having fulfilled his task; as a result Xerxes I had the originally imposed punishment carried out. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography F. Colin, Le récit…

[German version] While women in archaic Greece usually nursed their own children, the use of wet-nurses became more common in the classical period. The τιθήνη/ tithḗnē or τίτθη/ títh ē (the nanny who did not nurse was referred to as τροφός/ trophós) was usually a slave (such as GVI 1729), although some free-born or freed women in Athens provided this service as well, usually ξέναι/ xénai. In the visual arts, wet-nurses played a primarily attributive role up into the 4th cent., but later one can observe an increased interest in them - that is, in their function, less as persons. In Rome, wet-nu…

[German version] I. Age thresholds The onset of pubertas, sexual maturity and the autonomy categorically connected to it (Fest. p. 250 s. v. pubes: puer qui iam generare potest), was assumed for girls to come with the completion of their 12th year (Cass. Dio 54,16,7), and was established for boys only by the inspectio habitudinis corporis ( indagatio corporis).  In AD 529, Justinian finally abolished the obligatory indagatio, considering it too offensive a procedure (Cod. Iust. 5,60,3). The attainment of pubertas by boys was recognized and celebrated on the occasion of the f…

[German version] (Ὀροντοβάτης/ Orontobátēs, Arrianus; ΡΟΟΝΤΟΠΑΤΟ, coins, HN 630). Younger brother of the Carian satrap Mausolus, Persian co-regent appointed by Darius [3] III and son-in-law of the Carian dynast Pixodarus. After the death of Pixodarus in 334 BC, O. defended Halicarnassus as satrap of Caria against Alexander [4] the Great, and ultimately the castle against Ptolemaeus. Following his flight in 333, O. commanded Persian troops at Gaugamela. Arr. Anab. 1,23; 2,5,7; 3,8,5; 11,5; Str. 14,2,17; Curt. 4,12,7. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography Briant, Index s.v. O.  S…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Achaemenids | Diadochi and Epigoni | Alexander | Graeco-Bactria | Graeco-Bactria | Hellenistic states | India, trade with | Mauryas (Ζαρίασπα/ Zaríaspa: Arr.  Anab. 4,1,5; 4,7,1; Pol. 10,49;  Str. 11,11,2; in Plin. HN 6,48 called Zariastes). Earlier name of the chief town of Bactria, which later was known as Bactra (Balkh). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel)

[German version] (Γορδυηνή/ Gordyēnḗ, Plut. Lucullus 21; 26; 29 and passim; Plut. Pompey 36; Ptol. 5,12,9; Str. 11,14,2; 14,8; 14,15; App. Mith. 105; Γορδυαία/ Gordyaía, Str. 16,1,8; 1,21; 2,5). Region on the border of Armenia, the Adiabene, and the Atropatene on the upper course of the Tigris, south of Lake Van, with the poleis Sareisa (modern Šārı̄š), Satalka, and Pinaka (modern Finek) (Str. 16,1,24). Strabo identifies the inhabitants of the region, the Gordyaíoi (Γορδυαῖοι), with the   Carduchi (Καρδοῦχοι) (cf. Xen. An. 4,1,8; Plin. HN 6,44). After …

[German version] (or Zarangiana), as the name of the region around the lower course of the  Etymander (the modern Hilmand/Helmand Rūd) in the Iranian province of Sı̄stān, goes back to the original Iranian name Zranka, which also described the inhabitants of the region and which has a disputed etymology. It appears in the inscription of  Bı̄sutūn of Darius I (1,16) and in Greek and Latin derivations; the ‘Persian’ variants have an initial d-. According to Strabo, D. (in the Parthian period) adjoined Areia in the north and west, Carmania in the west, Gedrosia in the …

[German version] (Μασίστης; Masistēs). According to Hdt.7,82 son of Darius [1] I and Atossa [1], satrap of Bactria (Hdt. 9,113) and Persian commander-in-chief (Hdt. 7,82). After the cruel death of his wife, M. is said to have been killed by the king's troops in 479/8 BC, together with his sons, while on his way to Bactria bent on insurrection (Hdt. 9,107-113). The name M. probably derives from the Old Persian ma θ iišta- (Greek μέγιστος/ mégistos, ‘the greatest’). Iust. 2,10,1-11 and Plut. Mor. 173b-c; 488d-f recount how, in exchange for recognising his kingship, Xerxe…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Alexander | Hellenistic states | India, trade with According to Appianus (Syr. 57,298, Ἑκατόμπολις/ Hekatómpolis), a new foundation of Seleucus I in Comisene; according to Pliny (HN 6,17,44), 133 miles from the Caspian Gates. Probably the modern Šahr-e Qūmes near  Damghan. After brief Arsacid occupation at the beginning of the 2nd cent. BC, it became Parthian capital. Excavation has brought to light abundant evidence from the Parthian period, including - bes…

[German version] (Μαζαῖος; Mazaîos). Persian nobleman, highly respected at the Achaemenid court (Curt. 5,1,18; Plut. Alexander 39), father of Antibelus, Artiboles and Hydarnes. Under Artaxerxes [3] III, M. was satrap of Cilicia and Persian commander in the war against the rebellious Phoenicians (Diod. Sic. 16,42,1f.). Under Darius [3] III, he administered Coele Syria and ‘Syria between the rivers’. In 331 BC, he withdrew from his position near Thapsacus, enabling Alexander [4] the Great to cross th…

[German version] Rock wall situated north of Persepolis with reliefs from the Elamite and Sassanid periods ([3. 167 No.1-8], partly with inscriptions) as well as cliff tombs with reliefs from the Achaemenid period [3. 167 No. I-IV], of which only that of Darius [1] I can be confidently attributed (through the inscription [1. DNa/b]). Others buried there are assumed to be Xerxes I, Artaxerxes [1] I and Darius [2] II. On the summit of the mountain and on the mountain generally there are numerous Zor…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Achaemenids | Alexander (Πασαργάδαι/ Pasargádai, cf. Curt. 5,6,10: Pasargada). In the masculine form, name of the Persian tribe to whom the Achaemenids are said to have belonged (Hdt. 1,125), in the feminine form, the Greek name for the residence built by Cyrus [2] II (after his victory over Croesus c. 550 BC at the site of the victory over Astyages (Str. 15,3,8)?) in the Murġāb Plain (1900 m/N.N.), 30 km north-east of Persepolis (Elamite name form: Batraqataš). In the Achaemenid period, the chief monuments were sc…

[German version] The title Great King in the ancient Oriental tradition (from the 2nd millennium BC to the Achaemenids [1]) was adopted by Hellenistic rulers as μέγας βασιλεύς; megas basileûs (and continued as rex magnus [2. 253]). It is attested for the Seleucids  Antiochus [5] III, who did not use it on coins and in royal letters, but tolerated (or even promoted) its use elsewhere [3. 75-77],  Antiochus [9] VII (Iust. 38,10,6), Ptolemy III (OGIS I 54) and IV [5. 71-74], and later also for other Hellenistic kings and petty prin…

[German version] (Middle Persian Kerdīr or Kirdīr). The name of a Sassanid religious-political official and dignitary of the 3rd cent. AD. In his four inscriptions [1. KKZ, KNRm, KNRb, KSM], originating from the times of King Vahrām II (276-293), K. describes his career from a simple hērbed (teacher priest) under Šābuhr I to mōbad and dādvar (judge) of the entire kingdom. Further, he praises his commitment to Zoroastrianism and explains his visions. The significant role attributed to him in the arrest of the Mani under Vahrām I is in fact merely se…

(Ὀξάθρης/ Oxáthrēs). [German version] [1] Youngest son of Darius [2] II and Parysatis Youngest son of Darius [2] II and Parysatis (Plut. Artoxerxes 1,5). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) [German version] [2] Son of Abulites, commander at Gaugamela Son of Abulites, commander of his father's troops at Gaugamela; he subjugated himself to Alexander [4] the Great, but he (now governor of Paraetacene) was executed in Susa in 324 because he failed to provide assistance to the Greek army marching through the Gedrosian desert (Arr. Anab. 3,8,5; …

[German version] (Φραταφέρνης/ Phrataphérnēs). Satrap of the territories of Parthia and Hyrcania under Darius [3] III (Arr. Anab. 3,23,4); he commanded the Parthians, Hyrcanians and Topeirians in the battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC ( ibidem 3,8,4). After the death of Darius he was reinstated in his old post by Alexander[4] the Great ( ibidem 3,28,2; 5,20,7; Curt. 8,3,17) and became one of the most loyal followers of the Macedonian. He took part in the suppression of the rebellion in Areia [1] ( ibidem 3,28,2; 4,18,1), arrested the insurgent Autophradates [2] (ibidem 4,18,2; Curt. 8,3,17…

[German version] I. Object of Research and Method In pre-industrial societies, the age of husband and wife at first marriage - alongside mortality and the menopause - determined the time-span available for procreation. An extension of this period usually caused a proportional rise in fertility. At the same time, the age of the husband influenced the size of the generation gap and the social and legal relations within the oíkos and familia. Ancient historians have developed various methodological approaches to establish this age, which differ in the choice of the so…

(Παρύσατις; Parysatis, Babylonian Purušātu). [German version] [1] Daughter of Artaxerxes [1] I and the Babylonian Andia Daughter of Artaxerxes [1] I and the Babylonian Andia; wife of her half-brother Darius [2] II, mother of Artaxerxes [2] II and Cyrus [3] the Younger (Ctesias FGrH 688 F 15; Plut. Artoxerxes 2,4) among other children. According to Greek tradition, she is said to have had a great influence on Darius (Ctesias ibid.; Plut. Artoxerxes 2,2), preferred Cyrus (Xen. An. 1,1,3; Ctesias FGrH 688 F 17), a…

[German version] ( Nēv Šābuhr). City founded by Šābuhr I (Sapor) (Ḥamza Iṣfah, Šahristānihā-i Ērān; Ṭabarī: Šābuhr II), capital of the Sāssānid province of Abaršahr in Westḫorāsān (Iran). Under Yazdgird II (5th cent. AD) it was for a time the most important royal residence of the Sāssānids (battles against the Hephthalites), and the city, in whose vicinity was also an important fire sanctuary, remained a flourishing metropolis until the Mongol Conquest of the 13th cent. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel)

[German version] Border territory of Media, opposite Parthyene east of the Caspian Gates (the modern territory of Dāmghān). Although it had already been lost for a period to the Seleucids before the eastern campaign ( anábasis) of  Antiochus [5] III, it did not finally fall to the Parthians (along with its central town of  Hecatompylus) until the 2nd cent. BC (cf. Str. 11,9,1). In the late Sassanid period the province ( šahr) Kōmiš, which incidentally was probably never a Christian diocese [1], separated the provinces of Gurgān and Ray. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 R. Gysel…

[German version] Fertile and densely settled area in Sogdiana, mentioned only in Curt. 8,2,14 as "bordering Scythia." The location and region are today identified with Erkurgan and its surrounding area near Karshi in the plain of the River Qashqadaryo in Uzbekistan. At the approach of Alexander [4]  the Great in the winter of 329/8 BC the inhabitants of X. expelled the Bactrians (Bactria) that had defected from the Macedonians and sought refuge in their land. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 F. Grenet, Zoroastre au Badakhshân, in: Studia Iranica 31, 2002, 193-214 2 C. Rapin, …

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Xenophon | Alexander Large village (κώμη μεγάλη, probably modern Tall Gōmil near Ǧabal Maqlūb, 35 km north-east of Mosul) on the river Bumelos in northern Mesopotamia (Arr. Anab. 6,11,6), near which (cf. Arr. Anab. 3,8,7) the battle between  Alexander [4] the Great and  Darius [3] III took place on 1 October 331 (Arr. Anab. 3,11-15; Curt. 4,13,26-16; Plut. Alexander 31-33; Diod. Sic. 17,56-61; Iust. 11,14). After Alexander stalled a flanking manoe…

[German version] Region in north-western Iran, in Neo-Assyrian records referred to as KUR Ma-da-a-a. The borders of M. changed in the course of history and cannot be defined exactly in geographical terms; its political centre was Ecbatana. In historical times, the ethnolinguistic classification of M.'s predominant inhabitants was Iranian ( Medes). More or less neglected by classical Greek records, the geography of M. gained importance in the Western mind from the Alexandrian period. Polybius praised the stra…

[German version] (Ὀροίτης; Oroítēs). Persian governor in Sardeis who (according to Hdt. 3,120ff.) had Polycrates [1] enticed from Samos to Magnesia and crucified. When O. refused to assist Darius [1] I after the death of Cambyses [2], Darius had him disposed of (according to Herodotus, through a command from the royal envoy Bagaeus to the O.'s bodyguard). From the entourage of O., the physician Democedes came to the Persian court. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography P. Briant, Histoire de l'Empire perse: de Cyrus à Alexandre, 1996, s.v. Oroites

(Ὀτάνης, altpersisch Utāna). [English version] [1] Sohn des Θuxra Sohn des Θuxra [2. DB IV 83], einer der Helfer Dareios' [1] I. bei der Ermordung des Gaumāta (Smerdis). Nach Hdt. 3,68-70, der als O.' Vater Pharnaspes nennt, war O. gar der Anstifter des Komplotts. Durch seine Schwester Kassandane (Hdt. 2,1; 3,2) war O. Schwager des Kyros [2] (II.), durch seine Tochter Phaidyme Schwiegervater von Kambyses II., Smerdis und Dareios (Hdt. 3,68). Seine bed. Stellung mag auch in den von Dareios gewährten Privi…

[English version] Indischer Name der Könige der v.a. durch ihre Mz. bekannten sog. indoparthischen Dyn., als deren Begründer Gondophares gilt, der die Herrschaft der Shaka in Arachosien (Arachosia) und schließlich wohl auch in Gandhara (Gandaritis) beendete. Die Inschr. von Taḫt-i Bahī aus dem 26. Jahr dieses Königs fixiert seine Herrschaft recht genau auf 20 bis nach 46 n.Chr. Dazu paßt die Nachricht, daß der Apostel Thomas auf seiner Reise nach Indien mit Gondophares zusammengetroffen sein soll …

[English version] (Μεγάπανος). Nach Hdt. 7,62 Befehlshaber der Hyrkanier auf dem Griechenlandzug des Xerxes, später angeblich Statthalter von Babylon, vielleicht mit dem Bakabana der PFT [1. 672] identisch. Ein Ba-ga-a-pa- erscheint zwar in babylon. Texten als Satrap von Babylonien und Ebir Nāri oder Gouverneur von Babylon, allerdings bereits für das Jahr 503 v.Chr. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 R.T. Hallock, Persepolis Fortification Tablets [PFT], 1969 2 A. Kuhrt, Babylonia from Cyrus to Xerxes, in: CAH2, Bd. 4, 1988, 131, 136.

[English version] (Παραιτακηνή; Bewohner: Παρητακηνοί, u.a. Hdt. 1,101 bzw. Παραιτάκαι, Arr. an. 3,19,2). Gebirgslandschaft in Westiran, im Norden und Osten von Media, Areia [1] und Karmania, im SW von Susiana umschlossen. Von Strab. werden die Paraitakēnoí als räuberisches Bergvolk beschrieben (15,3,12). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel)

[English version] (Μαζαῖος). Vornehmer, am achäm. Hofe hoch angesehener Perser (Curt. 5,1,18; Plut. Alexander 39), Vater von Antibelos, Artiboles und Hydarnes. Unter Artaxerxes [3] III. Satrap von Kilikien und pers. Befehlshaber im Kampf gegen die aufständischen Phoiniker (Diod. 16,42,1f.), verwaltete M. unter Dareios [3] III. Koile Syria und “Syrien zwischen den Strömen”. Er räumte 331 v.Chr. seine Stellung bei Thapsakos und ermöglichte Alexandros [4] d.Gr. damit den Übergang ü…

[English version] (Ἄπαρνοι/Πάρνοι, Variante Πάρνοι/Σπαρνοι: Strab. 11,7,1; lat. Aparni/Parni: etym. ungeklärt). Teil-“Stamm” der Daher [1] - neben den Xánthioi/ Xantheíoi und Píssuroi (Strab. 11,8,2; vgl. 11,9,3) -, der im 3. Jh.v.Chr. die Steppe des sw Turkmenistan besetzte (Strab. 11,8,2f.; Iust. 41,1,10) und von dort unter seinem Anführer Arsakes [1] I. nach 250 v.Chr. in Parthia einfiel. Die P. sprachen urspr. einen ostmitteliranischen Dialekt (Parnisch), der nur aus indirekter Überl. erschlossen werden kann; di…

[English version] A. Begrifflichkeit und Einstellung zum Kind Zahlreiche ant. Bezeichnungen für das Kind (Lit., Rechtssprache etc.) unterscheiden Stadien der Kindheit (βρέφος/ bréphos, παιδίον/ paidíon, παῖς/ pais; lat. infans, puer), betonen die unterschiedliche Bedeutung des Kindes für beide Elternteile ( pais/ téknon) oder die Schuld- und Haftungsunfähigkeit von Kindern ( infans, impuber); manche Begriffe besitzen dabei ein breites Bedeutungsspektrum [6. 12-22]. In der für Griechenland wie Rom zu beobachtenden Dichotomie von Kindheit und Erwachsensein…

[English version] Nach Šīrīn (Schirin), der christl. Gemahlin des Sāsāniden Ḫusrau II. (Chosroes [6]; 591-628), benannter Platz in der iranischen Prov. Īlām nahe der irakischen Grenze, in islam. Zeit wichtiger Ort an der Handels- und Pilgerstraße von Hamadān nach Baghdad. Am östl. Stadtrand befinden sich ein großes Feuerheiligtum (?) (Çahār Tāq) und nördl. davon, auf einer 8 m hohen Terrasse, eine dem Ḫusrau II. zugeschriebene Palastanlage (Imārat-e Ḫusrau) von 370 × 190 m Größe. Die gesamte Anlage hat man sich in der Ant. in einer Parklandschaft ( parádeisos ) zu denken. Wieseh…

[English version] Die K. (griech. ἔκθεσις/ ékthesis; lat. expositio/ oblatio), die deutlich von der Kindestötung unterschieden werden muß, ist als eine Methode der ant. Familienplanung anzusehen. Die Entscheidung über die K. lag beim Familienoberhaupt, in Griechenland - mit Ausnahme von Sparta, wo die Ältesten der Angehörigen einer Phyle (τῶν φυλετῶν οἱ πρεσβύτατοι) die Neugeborenen untersuchten und deren Aufzucht anordneten oder untersagten (Plut. Lykurgos 16,1) - beim κύριος/ kýrios , in Rom beim pater familias. Die Thesen der demographischen Forschung zur Häufigke…

[English version] (Γελωνοί). Nach Hdt. (4,102; 108f.; 120; 136) ackerbautreibender skyth. Stamm in der Nachbarschaft der Budinoi mit griech.-skyth. Mischsprache; Nachkommen des Gelonos; urspr. griech. Flüchtlinge aus griech. Handelsniederlassungen. Sie sollen am Kampf gegen Dareios [1] I. beteiligt gewesen sein. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel)

[English version] Grenzlandschaft Mediens gegenüber der Parthyene östl. der Kaspischen Pforten (h. Gebiet von Dāmghān). Obgleich sie vor dem Ostfeldzug ( anábasis) Antiochos' [5] III. bereits eine Zeitlang den Seleukiden verlorengegangen war, fiel sie erst im 2. Jh.v.Chr. (mit ihrem Zentralort Hekatompylos) endgültig an die Parther (vgl. Strab. 11,9,1). In (spät)sāsānid. Zeit trennte die Provinz ( šahr) Kōmiš, die im übrigen wohl nie christl. Diözese war [1], die Provinzen von Gurgān und Ray. Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 R. Gyselen, La géographie administrati…

[English version] (Μαργιανή < altpers. Marguš > neupers. Marv). Vom Murġāb durchflossene fruchtbare ostiran. Landschaft (Ptol. 6,10,1; Plin. nat. 6,16; Strab. 2,1,14; 11,10,1; im Avesta wird M. den schönsten von Ahura Mazdā geschaffenen Ländern zugerechnet) im h. Turkmenistan. Ptol. 6,10 bezeichnet die Derbikkai, Massagetai, Parnoi (Parner), Daai und Topuroi als Bewohner von M. und nennt auch einzelne Städte, unter denen das von Antiochos [2] I. (neu)gegründete Antiocheia [7] Margiane (Giaur-Qala mit d…

[English version] In neuassyr. Zeugnissen als KUR Ma-da-a-a bezeichnete Region in NW-Iran mit geogr. nicht exakt zu beschreibenden und histor. wechselnden Grenzen, als deren polit. Zentrum Ekbatana hervortritt. M. war in histor. Zeit vor allem von ethnolinguistisch als iran. zu beschreibenden Bevölkerungsgruppen (Medoi) bewohnt. Von den klass.-griech. Zeugnissen eher vernachlässigt, gerät die Geographie von M. seit der Alexanderzeit stärker in den westl. Blick. Polybios rühmt die strategisch bes. günst…

[English version] (Φραταφέρνης). Satrap der Landschaften Parthia und Hyrkania unter Dareios [3] III. (Arr. an. 3,23,4); befehligte Parther, Hyrkaner und Topeirer in der Schlacht bei Gaugamela 331 v.Chr. (ebd. 3,8,4). Nach des Dareios Tod von Alexandros [4] d.Gr. wieder in seine alte Stellung eingesetzt (ebd. 3,28,2; 5,20,7; Curt. 8,3,17), wurde er zu einem der treuesten Gefolgsleute des Makedonen, war an der Niederschlagung des Aufstandes in Areia [1] beteiligt (ebd. 3,28,2; 4,18,1), nahm den Aufr…

[English version] Pfeilhagel, der von berittenen parthischen Bogenschützen rückwärts bei vorgetäuschter Flucht abgegeben wurde (vgl. Iust. 41,2,7: saepe etiam fugam simulant, ut incautiores adversum vulnera insequentes habeant, ‘oft auch stellen sie sich wie Flüchtige, um die Verfolger gegen Verwundungen unvorsichtiger zu machen’). Es sind auch Darstellungen des p.S. bekannt, etwa auf chinesischen Reliefs der Han-Zeit (206 v. 220 n.Chr.). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography 1 H. von Gall, Das Reiterkampfbild in der iranischen und iranisch beeinflußten Kunst…

[English version] Der Titel G. der altoriental. Tradition (seit dem 2. Jt. v.Chr. bis zu den Achaimeniden [1]) wurde als μέγας βασιλεύς von hell. Herrschern übernommen (und lebte auch als rex magnus weiter [2. 253]). Er ist bezeugt für die Seleukiden Antiochos [5] III., der ihn zwar nicht auf Mz. und in Königsbriefen verwandte, seine Nutzung jedoch duldete (oder sogar förderte) [3. 75-77], und Antiochos [9] VII. (Iust. 38,10,6), für Ptolemaios III. (OGIS I 54) und IV. [5. 71-74], später auch für andere hell. Könige oder Klei…

[English version] (Παρθία Plut. Antonius 55; Παρθυαία Pol. 5,44,4; Strab. 11,9,1; Παρθυηνή zum Unterschied vom parth. Großreich Pol. 10,28,7; Strab. 11,9,1; altpersisch Par θ ava-). Landschaft sö des Kaspischen Meeres, begrenzt im Westen von Media, im NW von Hyrkania, im Osten von Margiana (durch die parth. Landschaft Apauarktikene/Apavortene) und Areia [1]. Maßgeblich bestimmt wird die Geogr. P.s durch zwei Gebirgszüge, den Kopet Dag im Norden (entlang der h. Grenze zw. Iran und Turkmenistan) und den Bīnālūd im Süden (nördl. von Nischapur). So…

[English version] (Ναβαρζάνης). Von Curt. (bes. 5,9-10) vorteilhaft charakterisierter Chiliarchos der königlichen Reiterei Dareios' [3] III. Als einziger persischer Kommandeur erfolgreich bei der Schlacht von Issos und beim Königsmord in der Nähe des Bessos, ergab sich N. später Alexandros [4] d.Gr. in Hyrkanien (Arr. an. 3,23,3f.). Wiesehöfer, Josef (Kiel) Bibliography Berve, Bd.2, Nr. 543.