Hubbry Logo
search
logo
755488

Great Satraps' Revolt

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
755488

Great Satraps' Revolt

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Great Satraps' Revolt

The Great Satraps' Revolt, or the Revolts of the Satraps (c. 370-c.360 BCE), was a rebellion in the Achaemenid Empire of several satraps in western Anatolia against the authority of the Great King Artaxerxes II (r. 404-359/8). The Satraps who revolted were Datames, Ariobarzanes, Orontes, Autophradates, and Mausolus. The timing of their revolts varied, as did the circumstances that induced them to rebel. Though often portrayed as a general uprising, there was little coordination among them and at no time did they actually threaten Artaxerxes directly. Their efforts were aimed at secession rather than a takeover of the Empire.

Source:

Datames, inherited a minor satrapy (name unknown) in northern Cilicia from his father Camissares some time after 384 BC. He was a talented military commander and distinguished himself in several campaigns: against the Cardusii, against the rebellious Thyus of Paphlagonia, and against Aspis of Cataonia. He was assigned to lead the King's army against Egypt when he learned that courtiers were, out of jealousy, speaking against him to Artaxerxes. Rather than wait for a recall, he abandoned his command and, taking a few trusted followers with him, went north to Paphlagonia, raised an army, and fortified the towns there.

Now on the defensive, he had to deal with the forces the King sent against him: first the Pisidians, then a massive army led by Autophradates of Lydia. He defeated the first and his engagement with the second was a protracted stalemate. Autophradates offered peace, which Datames accepted, knowing that the King would not honor it. And, indeed, Artaxerxes schemed with Mithradates, the son of Ariobarzanes, to lure him into a trap. Mithradates joined forces with Datames and together they ravaged the lands of the King. When Mithradates had gained his trust, he arranged a meeting in a field where he had hidden a sword. As the two men were talking, he drew the sword and killed Datames.

Ariobarzanes, satrap of Phrygia, was the son of Pharnaces II (r. c. 450-c. 413) and brother of Pharnabazus (r. c. 413-387), his predecessors. Pharnabazus had been recalled to Artaxerxes' court in 387, where he married the King's daughter Apame and fathered a son, Artabazus. In 366, the King sent Artabazus to the satrapy at Phrygia in place of his uncle. Ariobarzanes refused to cede his position, thus putting himself in revolt against the King. The latter sent Autophradates of Lydia against him, as well as Mausolus of Caria. At the same time the city of Sestos, a city on the Hellespont under his control, was attacked by Cotys of Thrace. To defend against these assaults he sought the aid of the aging Spartan king Agesilaus and the Athenian general Timotheus in 365. To compensate them for their help, he gave Agesilaus money and conferred to Athens on Timotheus' behalf the cities of Crithote and Sestos in the Chersonese. Honoring him in return, Athens made Ariobarzanes a citizen of Athens. In the end, Ariobarzanes was betrayed by his son Mithridates to Artaxerxes, who had Ariobarzanes crucified.

Source:

Orontes was the son of Artasuras and married to Artaxerxes' daughter Rhodogunê. He was satrap of Armenia in 401 when Xenophon's Ten Thousand marched through that region after the battle of Cunaxa. In 380, when he and Tiribazus (then satrap of Lydia) were besieging Evagoras, king of Salamis on Cyprus, he made false accusations against Tiribazus (who had been hyparch under him in Armenia) that got him demoted to the minor satrapy of Mysia, on the border between Phrygia and Lydia. His resentment at this decline in his fortunes is presumed to be behind his rebellion, but why it occurred at this time is unknown. Diodorus Siculus said that:

The peoples who had revolted from the King chose as their general Orontes in charge of all branches of the administration.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.