Darayan I
Darayan I (also spelled Darew I, Darev I and Darius I; Aramaic: š”ā¬š”š”š”ā¬ā¬š” ā¬ dāryw) was the first king of Persis, most likely invested with kingship of the region by his overlord, the Parthian monarch Phraates II (r. 132ā127 BC) sometime after 132 BC.[1]
| Darayan I | |
|---|---|
._2nd_century_BC.jpg.webp) Coin of Darayan I, Persepolis mint. Reverse: Aramaic legend: š”ā¬š”š”š”ā¬ā¬š”
ā¬ š”š”ā¬š”ā¬ dāryw mlkā "Darius the King". | |
| King of Persis | |
| Reign | after 132 BC |
| Predecessor | Wadfradad II |
| Successor | Wadfradad III |
| Died | after 132 BC |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Although Darayan I's name was usually read as "Darew" by numismatics, an engraving of his name on a silver bowl has led to his name being read as "Darayan" by most recent studies. The name is derived from Old Persian daraya-vahauÅ”, the name of the prominent Achaemenid King of Kings Darius the Great (r. 522ā486 BC).[2][lower-alpha 1] Darayan I, unlike his predecessorsāthe fratarakasāused the title of shah ("king"), and laid foundations to a new dynasty, which may be labelled the Darayanids.[1] The title for "king" he uses on his coinage is malik, whilst the legend on the reverse is dāryw mlkā ("Darius the King").[4] The reason behind his adoption of the title of Darayan was seemingly because he felt strong enough to do so, and in spite of the difficulties that he and his successors faced, they did not renounce the title until the fall of the kingdom.[5]
The style of the silver drachmas under Darayan I was a continual of the one under the fratarakas.[5] On the obverse, the king is wearing a soft cap (bashlyk) with a crescent.[4] On the reverse, the king is facing a fire temple with the Zoroastrian supreme deity Ahura Mazda above, and holding a scepter, and on the other side of the temple an eagle mounted on a pedestal. The reverse has an inscription in the Aramaic script: š”ā¬š”š”š”ā¬ā¬š” ā¬ š”š”ā¬š”ā¬ dāryw mlkā ("Darius the King").[4] Parthian influence was notable on the coinage of Darayan I and his successors.[6] Darayan I was succeeded by Wadfradad III.[6]
Notes
- The Parthian variant of the name is DÄrÄw, whilst the New Persian version is DÄrÄ(b).[3]
References
- Shayegan 2011, p. 178.
- Rezakhani 2020, p. 130.
- Rezakhani 2020, pp. 130, 132.
- Sellwood 1983, p. 303.
- Potts 2017, p. 776.
- Wiesehƶfer 2009.
Sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darius I of Persis. |
- Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh (2007), "The Iranian Revival in the Parthian Period", in Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh and Sarah Stewart (ed.), The Age of the Parthians: The Ideas of Iran, 2, London & New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd., in association with the London Middle East Institute at SOAS and the British Museum, pp. 7ā25, ISBN 978-1-84511-406-0.
- Potts, Daniel T., ed. (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford University Press. pp. 1ā1021. ISBN 9780190668662.
- Rezakhani, Khodadad (2020). "Onomastica Persida: Names of the Rulers of Persis in the Seleucid and Arsacid Periods". Ancient Iranian Numismatics. pp. 129ā135. ISBN 978-1949743166.
- Shayegan, M. Rahim (2011). Arsacids and Sasanians: Political Ideology in Post-Hellenistic and Late Antique Persia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1ā539. ISBN 9780521766418.
- Sellwood, David (1983), "Minor States in Southern Iran", in Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.), Cambridge History of Iran, 3, London: Cambridge UP, pp. 299ā322, ISBN 9780521200929
- Wiesehƶfer, Josef (2000). "Frataraka". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasc. 2. p. 195.
- Wiesehƶfer, Josef (2009). "Persis, Kings of". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
Darayan I | ||
| Preceded by Wadfradad II |
King of Persis after 132 BC |
Succeeded by Wadfradad III |