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Greek rendering ( Masí;stēs) of an Old Iranian name * Masišta- (reflected also in Bab. Ma-si-iš-tu4) based on the superlative YAv. masišta-, OPers. maΘišta- “greatest, supreme”. MASISTES, Greek rendering ( Masístēs) of an Old Iranian name * Masišta- (reflected also in Bab. Ma-si-iš-tu4) based on the superlative YAv. masišta-, OPers. maΘišta- “greatest, supreme”; originally the name may have been a title (cf. OPers. maΘišta pasā tanūm “the greatest after myself [the king]”); but, equally well, the basic meaning may have been “oldest, first-born.” Two persons k…

(NPers. Darīūš, Dārā), name of several Achaemenid and Parthian rulers and princes. A version of this article is available in print Volume VII, Fascicle 1, pp. 40-55 DARIUS i. The Name Dārīus (or Dārēus) is the common Latin form of Greek Dareîos, itself a shortened rendering of Old Persian five-syllable Dārayavauš (spelled d-a-r-y-v-u-š), the throne name of Darius the Great and two other kings of the Achaemenid dynasty (see iii-v, below), which thus enjoyed considerable popularity among noblemen in later periods (see vi-viii, below). The original …

legendary Saka queen during the reign of the likewise legendary Median king Astibaras. ZARINAIA (Gk. Zarinaíā), legendary Saka queen during the reign of the likewise legendary Median king Astibaras. The original Greek form of her name certainly is Zarinaía and not Zarína (as previously had been read in Diodorus 2.34.3; cf. Schmitt, 2006, p. 240; 2011, p. 192); and in all probability this Greek form goes back to a two-stem hypocoristic name with the suffix OIran. *- aya- based on a compound name containing OIran. * zari- “golden” (see Schmitt, 2006, pp. 240-42). All sources of her story …

Achaemenid prince, son of Artaxerxes I’s brother Artarios, who was satrap of Babylon; he was a “eunuch” at Artaxerxes’ court and during the troubles about the succession after Artaxerxes’ death in 424/23 BCE. MENOSTANES (Gk. Menostánēs, Bab. Manuštanu), Achaemenid prince, son of Artaxerxes I’s brother Artarios, who was satrap of Babylon; he was a “eunuch” at Artaxerxes’ court and during the troubles about the succession after Artaxerxes’ death in 424/23 BCE he took the side of Sogdi(an)os/Sekyndianos and participated in the murder …

according to Herodotus 1.103.3 the father of the Scythian king Madýēs, who is said to have gone into battle against the Medes. PROTOTHYES (Gk. Protothýēs, not Prōto°, as it is often found in older editions, since this form is attested only in one late manuscript), according to Herodotus 1.103.3 the father of the Scythian king Madýēs, who is said to have gone into battle against the Medes; the otherwise unattested name without any doubt is of Iranian origin (see below) and must be equated with Assyr. Bartatua (written m Bar-ta-tu-a), the name of a “King of the Scythians” (LUGAL šá KUR. Iš-ku-za)…

American scholar of Indo-European studies, who specialized also in Old Persian studies. He went to Berlin and Munich universities to continue for two years his classical studies, including (apart from the languages) Greek epigraphy, history, and archeology. A version of this article is available in print Volume XVI, Fascicle 3, pp. 238-240 KENT, ROLAND GRUBB, American scholar of Indo-European studies, who specialized also in Old Persian studies (b. Wilmington, Del., 24 February 1877; d. Bryn Mawr, Penn., 27 June 1952). He was the son of a busines…

the name generally known in the West for the prophet of ancient Iran, whose transformation of his inherited religion inaugurated a movement that eventually became the dominant religion in Iran up until the triumph of Islam. ZOROASTER i. THE NAME The Gathic form and its derivatives. The authentic form of Zoroaster’s name is that attested in his own songs, the Gathas, Old Av. ZaraΘuštra- (Old Avestan [OAv.] and Young Avestan [YAv.] references are fully listed by Schlerath, 1971, pp. 134 f.), on which are based regular derivatives like zaraΘuštri- “descending from Zoroaster” or zaraΘuštrō.…

name of a daughter of the Median king Astyages. MANDANE (Gk. Mandánē), name of a daughter of the Median king Astyages (Herodotus 1.107.1; Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.2.1); in all probability the name goes back to OIran. * Mandanā- “delighting, cheerful” (cf. Ved. mandána-; see Schmitt, 2002, p. 60 and 2011, pp. 234 f., but also Werba, pp. 253–56). According to one version of the various legendary stories about Cyrus II (see CYRUS iii) and his origin known to Herodotus (1.95.1), Astyages was warned in a dream that a son of his daughter would…

Greek rendering of the well-known name OIran. * Baga-pāta- “protected by the gods” (which is attested in El. Ba-qa-ba-(ad-/ud-)da, Bab. Ba-ga-pa-a-ta/tu4, Ba-ga-(’)-pa-a-tú;, etc., Aram. bgpt, Lyc. Magabata). MEGABATES, Greek rendering of the well-known name OIran. * Baga-pāta- “protected by the gods” (which is attested in El. Ba-qa-ba-(ad-/ud-)da, Bab. Ba-ga-pa-a-ta/tu4, Ba-ga-(’)-pa-a-tú, etc., Aram. bgpt, Lyc. Magabata). Whereas the variant form Gk. Bagapátēs (Ctesias, frag. 13 §§ 9–23, F 16 § 66) has remained unchanged, the more common and widespread form Megabátēs has…

Name of several Persians in Achaemenid times, as OPers. M-r-du-u-n-i-y- /Mr̥duniya-/ (DB 4.84) is rendered in Greek ( Mardó;nios) and Latin ( Mardonius). MARDONIUS, name of several Persians in Achaemenid times, as OPers. M-r-du-u-n-i-y- /Mr̥duniya-/ (DB 4.84) is rendered in Greek ( Mardónios) and Latin ( Mardonius); further reflexes of the Old Persian form are El. Mar-du-nu-ia (DB El. 3.91 and Persepolis tablets), Bab. Mar-du-ni-ia (DB Bab. 111; see also Dandamayev, p. 98, no. 187) and Aram. mrd[ wn] y (DB Aram. 76). The two last-mentioned forms are decisive for the etymol…

a general of Pharnabazos, the satrap of the Daskylitis (see DASCYLIUM) under Dareios II and Artaxerxes II (see DARIUS iv and ARTAXERXES II). RATHINES (Gk. Rathínēs), a general of Pharnabazos, the satrap of the Daskylitis (see DASCYLIUM) under Dareios II and Artaxerxes II (see DARIUS iv and ARTAXERXES II). Rathines and Spithridates (for whom, see MEGABATES, no. 4; RE IIIA2, 1929, cols. 1815-16) were sent out by Pharnabazos with a large force of cavalry and infantry; they sought battle with the Ten Thousand Greeks in 400 BCE somewhere in Bithynia (Xenophon, Anabasis 6.5.7) and suffered …

German scholar of Indo-European, chiefly Indo-Iranian studies, and also of religious studies. LOMMEL, HERMAN, German scholar of Indo-European, chiefly Indo-Iranian studies, and also of religious studies (b. Erlangen, 7 July, 1885; d. Prien-on-the-Chiemsee in Bavaria, 5 October, 1968). He was the son of the physicist Eugen Lommel (1837–99). He started his studies of comparative philology, Indology, and Iranian studies at Munich University in 1905 and at the University of Göttingen from 1907, studying with Jacob Wackernagel (Indo-European), Her…

name of two Achaemenid rulers and of some later princes. XERXES i. The Name XERXES, name of two Achaemenid rulers and of some later princes. Xerxes is the common Greek ( Xérxēs) and Latin form ( Xerxes, Xerses) of the Achaemenid throne-name which in Old Persian is spelled x-š-y-a-r-š-a (with the initial a- of the second element being spread into medial position) and must be interpreted as four-syllable Xšaya-ṛšā (thus first P. Tedesco in Herzfeld, pp. 97 f. and Hoffmann, p. 85, fn. 15). This form and the secondary contracted form * Xšayaršā are reflected more or less accurately in Bab. Ḫi-ši-ʾ-…

Nöldeke could convincingly prove the thesis already proposed by Niels Ludvig Westergaard (1815-1878) that Middle Persian was not an Irano-Semitic hybrid language, but an authentic Iranian dialect, the phonetic forms of which were “obscured by a partly cryptographic, partly extremely historicizing spelling.” NÖLDEKE, THEODOR ii. AS AN IRANIST As a pupil of Heinrich Ewald (1803-1875), Theodor Nöldeke (FIGURE 1) had the benefit of a sound training in Oriental philology, linguistics, and history, all of which contributed to his becoming the most …

the name of a Persian military unit mentioned several times by Greek and Roman authors, nearly always in relation to the Achaemenid period (cf. Huyse, p. 199, n. 6). A version of this article is available in print Volume XV, Fascicle 5, pp. 556-557 KÁRDAKES, the name of a Persian military unit mentioned several times by Greek and Roman authors, nearly always in relation to the Achaemenid period (cf. Huyse, p. 199, n. 6). Notwithstanding the rather muddled terminology found in the sources, the crucial pieces of evidence are the two references in Arrian, Anabasis 2.8.6 and Cornelius Nepos, Data…

Persian masculine name, attested only in the Greek forms Oxá;thras and Oxá;thrēs (sometimes transformed by popular etymology as Oxyá;thrēs [see OXYATHRES] and Oxyá;rtēs [see OXYARTES]), which reflects OIr. *HuxšaΘra- being the onomastic equivalent of the attested Avestan epithet huxšaΘra- ‘of good reign’ OXATHRES, Persian masculine name, attested only in the Greek forms Oxáthras and Oxáthrēs (sometimes transformed by popular etymology as Oxyáthrēs [see OXYATHRES] and Oxyártēs [see OXYARTES]), which reflects OIr. *HuxšaΘra- being the onomastic equivalent of the atte…

(later MPers. Nisāy, NPers. Nesā, Ar. Nasā), the Old Iranian name of several Iranian regions and places, which cannot easily be distinguished from one another. They are mentioned in a variety of sources from antiquity and the Middle Ages, and already Moqaddasi (24.17) listed Nisā ( Nasā) among the names in use for different places (e.g., in Fars, Hamadān, Kermān, Khorasan), although it is quite possible that only some of the later Nesā names are connected with OIr. * Nisāya-. NISĀYA (later MPers. Nisāy, NPers. Nesā, Ar. Nasā), the Old Iranian name of several Iranian regions and pl…

probably a rendering of OIran. * Vṛda-gaunā-, fem. “rose-colored,” and the name of several female historical figures. RHODOGUNE (Gk. Rhodogoúnē) in all probability is rendering OIran. * Vṛda-gaunā-, fem. “rose-colored” or “rosy-complexioned” (cf. Schmitt, 2011, pp. 312f., also for other interpretations), even if with assimilation to Gk. rhódon “rose”; the same origin must be assumed for Sogd. warδγōn “rosy” and Pers. gulgūn “rose-colored”. There is evidence for several historical women bearing this name, in particular: The younger daughter of Xerxes I (r.486-465 BCE) a…

brother of the Achaemenid Darius III and companion of Alexander the Great. OXYATHRES, Persian masculine name, attested only in this Greek form Oxyáthrēs, which in all probability is transformed by popular etymology (just as Oxyártēs) from OIr. *HuxšaΘra- [rendered as Gk. Oxáthrēs, which can only be interpreted out of Iranian material] ‘Of good reign’ (see Justi, Namenbuch, p. 233a, and, more recently, M. Mayrhofer, Iranisches Personennamenbuch I/1,Vienna, 1977, p. 87 no. 335 as well as Ch. Werba, Die arischen Personennamen und ihre Träger bei den Alexander historikern, Ph.D. diss…

Old Iranian masculine name, attested only in the Greek forms Oró;ntas, Oró;ntēs (Latin Orontes, Oronta), Orondēs, Aroandēs, Oro-, Aru-, Oruá;ndēs, which reflect certainly — since most of these variants denote traceably one and the same person (no. 2 below) — a form OPers. *Arvanta- (continued by MPers., NPers. Arvand), which is to be connected with Av. auruuaṇt- ‘swift, vigorous, brave’ and possibly shortened from a compound name like Av. Auruuaṱ.aspa- ‘Having swift horses’. ORONTES, Old Iranian masculine name, attested only in the Greek forms Oróntas, Oróntēs (Latin Orontes, Oron…