1. Ктесий.
Диодор Сицилийский, Историческая Библиотека 2.1.8-9, излагает рассказ Ктесия о мифическом царе Ассирии Нине, покорившем Вавилонию во времена, когда Вавилон ещё не был основан, после чего напавшем на Армению:
(8) After this he invaded Armenia with great numbers, laid waste to some of the cities and terrorized the natives. Because of this, their king, Barzanes, aware of his own inability to engage in battle, approached Ninus with many gifts and said that he would do whatever was ordered of him. (9) Ninus treated him generously and allowed him to rule Armenia and, as a friend, to send a force and a contribution to his army. Growing ever more powerful, he launched a campaign into Media.
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he invaded Armenia…: In the 730’s Tiglath Pileser I invaded the Haldian territory in Armenia. The war ended in a stalemate when the Assyrian king failed to capture the citadel at Van and gain any success in the mountains. The resulting impasse endured throughout the Assyrian Empire.
ниже (1.2.2-4) Диодор завершает свой рассказ:
(2) No historian has recorded the battles independently or the number of peoples he fought against, but following Ctesias of Cnidos, I will try to concisely run through the noteworthy nations. (3) He subdued the coastal and continental lands of Egypt and Phoenicia, and then Koile Syria, Cilicia, Pamphylia and Lycia, and also Caria, Phrygia, Musia and Lydia. He annexed the Troad, Hellespontine Phrygia, The Propontis, Bythnia, Cappadocia and all of the tribes that live throughout the Black Sea as far as Tanaïs. He also conquered the lands of the Cadusians and the Tapyroi and moreover that of the Hyrcarnians and the Drangians, the Derbikians, the Carmanians, the Choromnaians, the Borkanians and the Parthyans. He invaded Persis, Sousiana and the place called Caspiana to which the entrances are very narrow and for that reason are called the Caspian Gates. (4) He added many other smaller nations to his list of conquered peoples which would take too long to mention. Because Bactria was hard to enter and had a multitude of fierce warriors, Ninus suffered many losses and was unsuccessful; consequently, he put off the war against the Bactrians until another time. He then led his forces into Assyria and picked out a goodlocation to found a city.
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The Tanaïs: This is the Don River which flows in the western portion of what is now Russia. Cf. Hdt. 4.57 The use of the term satrap in this passage is anachronistic since a satrapy was a Persian office.
After seventeen years… except India and Bactria: The frontiers of the empire described in the following passages do not refer to the historical limits of the Assyrians. They actually correspond to the frontiers of the Achaemenid Empire in the time of Artaxerxes II. Auberger (1991 p. 143) rightly asserts that Ctesias is relating the official history of the empire and is seeking to legitimize the kingdom of Achaemenid Persia by showing that it was the hereditary empire of the east dating back beyond the Medes to the Assyrians.
The Syrian Vale: Bigwood (1980 p. 200) claims that Coele Syria is Diodorus’ term rather than Ctesias’. She points out that the name was unknown to Herodotus and Xenophon and is only used once before Alexander in the Periplous of Scylax written in the early 330’s. The term became common in the Hellenistic period and is used several times by Diodorus. In any case it refers to the region west of the Euphrates (cf. Lenfant 2004 p. 253 n.96).
He also conquered…Parthyans: The Cadusians inhabited a desolate region on the southwest corner of the Caspian Sea. Consequently, little was known about them even after the campaigns of Alexander. However they were mentioned sporadically in the sources (cf. Strabo 11.7.1 for a description of the size of their territory) and Ctesias says that they provided cavalry in the service of Artaxerxes at the Battle of Cunaxa (F19); cf. F5 and F8d for the hostility between the Cadusians and the Medes (cf. Syme 1988 for a full discussion of the Cadusians). The Tapyroi dwell to the south of the Caspian Sea in a region that, according to Strabo (11.8.8), lay between the Hyrcanians and the Arians. They inhabit the region rom the Alburz to the Caspian (cf. Herzfeld 1968 p. 249, 317). The Drangians lived in the eastern part of Iran. The manuscripts give the form Δραγκῶν, which more closely follows the Old
Persian Zranka, than the often adopted Δραγγῶν which is based on Strabo 15.2.5. cf. Kent 1953 p. 211 for the various forms of the name. According to Strabo (11.8.8) the Derbikians are adjacent to Hyrcania but Aelian (V. H. 4.1) places them on the southwestern shore of the Caspian. The Carmanians were located in southern Iran in what is now Hormuz. The term Choromnaians presents a controversy because they appear two more times in Ctesias but as the Choramnians (F9) and the Choramnaians (F12). Rhodes has proposed to emend the text here to make it agree with the spelling in F12 but this proposal was met with little acceptance. Regardless of spelling, Schmitt (1979 p. 131) is right to identify them with the Chorasmians of Herodotus (3.93) who lived in what is now Uzbekistan along the Oxus River (the modern Amu Dayra). According to Auberger, the Borkanians, who are elsewhere in Ctesias called the Barkaninas (F9§8 and F9a), lived on the border of Hyrcania. Kiessling (1914), however, claims that they are in fact the same people and that Ctesias mistakenly refers to them as two nations. If Varkāna, the Old Persian term for Hyrcania, did in fact lead Ctesias to mistakenly differentiate the two peoples then this could be further evidence for his knowledge of Persian. Although Curtius (3.2.5) distinguishes between Hyrcanians and Barkanians in the service of Darius III, he may be doing so under the influence of Ctesias. The Parthyans occur in Ctesias as the Parthyaioi (F7 and F8d §46), the Parthoi (F5 §34.1), and the Parthioi (F9 §8). Herzfeld (1968 p. 31 and n.1) argues that Parthyaioi, a later form in Greek, renders the Aramaic form of parthawāyē and Parthoi corresponds to the Old Persian paryova since the Elamite form par.to.wa.p shows that in Old Persian the letter a before a v was pronounced as an o. The appearance of the multiple forms of the term bears evidence to
the various sources consulted by Ctesias. It seems evident, especially regarding the passages where Parthoi appears, that Ctesias is obtaining his information orally from a native Persian speaker. The Partyians occupied a region near the Caspian Gates in Khurâsân in Iran.
Фотий, Мириобиблион
F16) Phot. Bibl. 72 p. 43b 3 – 44a 19: (57) In the nineteenth book of his history, Ctesias explains how Dariaios Ochos fell ill in Babylon and died after ruling for 35 years and then Arsaces became king and changed his name to Artaxerxes.
...
(60) Satibarzanes spread the rumor that Orondes slept with Parysatis, although she was very chaste, and he was put to death which made the queen mother furious against the king. (61) [Ctesias says] that Parysatis killed the son of Terituchmes with poison and, (62) contrary to custom, his father placed his body on a pyre; in relating this story he charges Hellanicus and Herodotus with lying.
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Orondes: OP *Arvanta- ‘fast, quick’. The name is well attested in Greek and Near Eastern sources. It appears in Xenopon as Orontas (Anab. 1.6.1. et al), in Plutarch (Artox. 27.7) as Orontes, and in Herodotus (4.165) as Aryandes. An Orontes, called Aroandes in the inscriptions from Mt. Nemrut (OGIS 391, 392) held the post of satrap of Armenia throughout the reign of Artaxerxes, but since he survived the king he must a be different Orontes than the one mentioned here. He was the son of Artasyras and was married to Rhodogyne, the daughter of Artaxerxes II (cf. Plut. Artox. 27.7). He is also said to be Bactrian by birth (cf. OGIS 264)
Николай Дамасский из Отрывков из Греческих Историков излагает историю Кира Великого по Ктесию:
F8d) Nic. Damas. (Exc. de Insid. p.23.23 de Boor = FGrH 90 F66) [L]: ... (46) The report of Astyages' flight and defeat soon reached everyone as if his power were removed by the gods causing the people and nations to revolt. The chief of the Hyrcarnians, Artasyras, brought 50,000 soldiers to Cyrus and prostrated himself saying that he had another even larger force prepared should Cyrus give the order. Then came the Parthians, Saka, Bactrians, and all the others one after another, as each nation wanted to reach Cyrus first until Astyages was left with only a few men and before long, when Cyrus made an attack and was easily victorious, Astyages was taken to him as a prisoner.
Фотий Мириобиблион:
Books XII - XIII
• F13) Phot. Bibl. 72 p. 37a 26 – 40a 5: (9) Book 12 begins with the reign of Cambyses who, once he became king, sent the body of his father with the eunuch Bagapates to Persia to be buried and managed the rest as his father had ordained. During his reign, Artasyras the Hyrcarnian wielded the greatest power, and among the eunuchs Izabates, Aspadates, and Bagapates who gained great influence under the king’s father after the death of Petesakas... (12) When Cambyses sent a message for the third time to his brother, the latter came and greeted him affectionately, but the king cared for nothing other than killing him and was eager to put his plans into action without the knowledge of Amytis. The action was accomplished because the Magus, who was complicit in the plot with the king, came up with the following plan: since the Magus strongly resembled Tanyoxarkes, he advised the king to stage in public his own fake execution by beheading under the pretext that he had slandered the king's brother. However, Tanyoxarkes was secretly put to death and the Magus donned his robes making everyone think that the man in the garment was the king’s brother. This is what happened: Tanyoxarkes drank the blood of a bull and died as a result; the Magus then put on his clothes and assumed his identity. (13) No one noticed this for a long time except Artasyras, Bagapates, and Izabates who were the only ones whom Cambyses trusted with this matter. Cambyses summoned Labyxos, the most influential of Tanyoxarkes' eunuchs, along with the rest of them, revealed the Magus sitting down in the posture of Tanyoxarkes, and asked, "Do you think this is Tanyoxarkes?" Labyxos was amazed and responded, "Who else should I think he is?" so similar was the Magus in appearance; then he was sent off to Bactria and managed everything under the identity of Tanyoxarkes. After five years had passed, Amytis was informed of what had happened by the eunuch Tibethes whom the Magus had beaten up. She asked Cambyses for Sphendadates but he refused. She then uttered a curse, drank poison, and died... (15) Before Cambyses died Bagapates and Artasyras planned for the Magus to rule which he did after the king passed away. Izabates went to Persia with the body of Cambyses but returned while the Magus was ruling under the name of Tanyoxarkes. After disclosing everything to the army and publicly exposing the Magus, he fled to a temple where he was seized and beheaded. (16) Then seven Persians nobles conspired against the Magus: these were Onophas, Idernes, Narondabates, Mardonius, Barisses, Ataphernes, and Darius the son of Hystaspes. After these men had given pledges to each other, Artasyras joined them as did Bagapates who possessed all the keys to the palace and through whose help the seven men entered the palace where they found the Magus lying with a Babylonian concubine. When he saw them, he leapt up and finding no weapons around (for Bagapates had secretly removed all of them) shattered a golden stool and fought with one of the legs but was finally cut down by the seven and died after ruling for seven months.
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(23) Darius returned to Persia and after making sacrifice, fell ill for 30 days before dying at the age of 92 having ruled for 31 years. Artasyras also died and Bagapates sat next to the grave of Darius for seven years before he died. (24) His son Xerxes became king and Artapanos, the son of Artasyras, became as powerful as his father was during the reign of Darius and the elder Mardonius was equally influential; the most powerful of the eunuchs was Natakas. Xerxes married Amestris, the daughter of Onaphas, with whom he had a son named Dariaios and two years later another named Hystaspes and later a third named Artaxerxes; they had two daughters named Amytis, after her grandmother, and Rhodogyne.
Фотий, Мириобиблион:
Book XVIII
• F15) Phot. Bibl. 72 p. 41b 38 – 43b 2: ... (52) Arsites, the king's brother by the same father and mother, revolted with Artyphios, the son of Megabyzos. Artasyras was dispatched to confront him but in the war with Artyphios he was defeated twice. However, he vanquished Artyphios in the third battle and won over his Greek contingent with bribes until only three Milesians remained in his service. When Arsites failed to appear, Artyphios made peace and exchanged oaths with Artasyras and surrendered to the king. Parysatis advised him not to execute Artyphios yet, as was his desire, but to use him as a trap to lure Arsites into surrendering. When he was deceived and captured, she said to the king, "now you must deal with them both." The queen succeeded in her plan and both men were thrown into a room full of ash, although the king was reluctant to put Arsites to death. Parysatis, however, partly by persuasion and partly by compulsion caused their undoing. Pharnakyas, who was an accomplice of Sekyndianos in the murder of Xerxes, was stoned to death and Menostanes died by his own hand since he was already in custody and awaiting execution.
Плутарх, Артаксеркс 12-14:
F20) Plut. Artox. 12: ... (12) When Cyrus died, Artasyras, the king's Eye, happened to ride past on his horse and see the eunuchs lamenting. He asked the most trusted of them, "Pariskas, for whom are you mourning?" The Eunuch replied, "Artasyras, don't you see that Cyrus has died?" (2) Amazed at this, Artasyras ordered the eunuch to take heart and guard the body while he personally went to Artaxerxes, who had already given up his cause and was suffering from thirst and the agony of his wound. With pleasure he informed the king that he had personally seen Cyrus dead. (3) The king immediately prepared to set out and ordered Artasyras to take him to the spot, but since there were rumors abounding about the Greeks and the fear that they were in pursuit and victorious in every way, he thought it best to send a larger force to scout the area and so he dispatched thirty men with torches. (4) Since the king was almost at the point of death from thirst, Satibarzanes the eunuch went around in search of water, but there was none in the area and the camp was far away. (5) He then came across one of those lowly Caunians who had about eight kotylai of foul and polluted water in a shoddy wineskin which he seized and brought back to the king. (6) When he drank it all down, the eunuch asked him if he found the drink disgusting, but he swore to the gods that he had never tasted wine or the clearest, most pure water and found it as pleasing: "If I cannot find the man who gave you this water and reward him properly, I pray that the gods make him more blessed and wealthy." (13) In the meantime, The thirty men with torches returned and with great pleasure informed the king of his unexpected fortune. With his spirits lifted by the multitude of men running back to him and joining the ranks, he came down from the hill illuminated by many torches. (2) He stood over the corpse and, following Persian custom, had the right hand and head removed from the body; he then ordered the head to be brought to him and grasped it by the thick bushy hair to show it to those who doubted the report and to those who fled. (3) They were astonished and prostrated themselves so he soon had 70,000 men in his service who accompanied him back to the camp... (6) When the Carian who delt Cyrus the fatal blow to his hamstring asked for his own reward, the king ordered those delivering the gifts to say, "the king grants you these gifts for being the second after Artasyras to deliver him the good news of Cyrus' death."
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Artasyras: cf. note on F8 §46 for the etymology and occurrences of this name in the Persika. This may be the same man as the Bactrian who was appointed satrap of Armenia and helped put down the revolt of Artyphios and Arsites who was connected to the royal family by marriage (F15 §52).
Artasyras the Hyrcarnian: Cf. F8 §46 and note.
Artapanos, the son of Artasyras: Herodotus (7.10-12) mentions Artabanos, the son of Hystaspes and thus brother of Darius and uncle of Xerxes, as one of the latter’s councilors. Momigliano (1931 p. 203) may be right to conjecture that Ctesias has confused two separate individuals. This Artapanos, though not as high born as the son of Hystaspes, would likely have become the chief of the Hyrcanians after the death of his father (cf. F8d §46) and as such would have been a man of distinction. Moreover, the importance of Hyrcania can be seen by the significant post that Hystaspes himself held there in 522 B.C.E. (cf. note above F9 §8; cf. DB 35 which contradicts Herodotus 3.70 that he was hyparchos of Persia; cf. Briant 2002 p. 926). Lenfant’s (2004 p. LXXXVI-LXXXVII) characterization of him as an ‘obscur subalterne’ thus seems excessive.
Artasyras: cf. note on F8 §46 for the etymology and occurrences of this name in the Persika. This may be the same man as the Bactrian who was appointed satrap of Armenia and helped put down the revolt of Artyphios and Arsites who was connected to the royal family by marriage (F15 §52).
the king's Eye: The Greek sources are vague and varied on this title. According to some, there was only one Eye of the king who held a high-ranking position in the court (cf. Aes. Pers. 978-985; Ar. Ach. 91-125). Others, however, maintain that there were numerous Eyes and Ears, often seen as two separate offices, who reported to the king any suspicious activity (cf. Arist. Pol. 1287b 29). Xenophon (Cyr. 8.2.10-12), however, seems to reject the widespread belief of an institution of the king’s Eye but states that the king listens to anybody with information on dissenters. Although the institution is widely attested in the Greek sources, there is no conclusive reference to it in the Eastern sources. It is unclear if the gaušaka mentioned in the Aramaic documents from Egypt (DAE 101) referring to satrapy inspectors indicates the same office (cf. Briant 2002 p. 343-344; Oppenheim 1958 especially p. 178 who interprets the gaušaka as a reference to the king’s Ear). Balcer (1977) proposes that the Athenians may have adopted the office of the king’s Eye in the creation of the office of the Episkopos, the imperial Overseer. Unfortunately, the sources are too unclear to ascertain what the nature of this office was or even if it existed it all (cf. Hirsch 1985 p. 101-139 for a full discussion).
Artasyras: cf. note on F20 §12.1
