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'''Otanes''' ([[Persian language|Old Persian]] Utâna): [[Persian_Empire|Persian]] nobleman, one of the seven conspirators who killed the [[Magian]] usurper [[Gaumâta]] and helped [[Darius I]] the Great become king ([[29 September]] [[522 BC]]). Several years later, he added the [[Greece|Greek]] island [[Samos]] to the [[Achaemenid]] empire.

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When it was decided that Persia was to be a monarchy and Darius was to be its king, Otanes choose to stay aloof of it and receive special rights:

To this day, the family of Otanes continues to be the only free family in Persia, and submits to the king only so far as the members of it may choose. They are bound, however, to observe the law like anyone else.
    Herodotus, [[Histories]] 3.83

That is, at least, Herodotus' story. 
But there may be more than meets the eye: pPerhaps Otanes was a rival candidate to the Persian throne. There are many elements in Herodotus' story that point into this direction. In the first place, we see that Otanes started the conspiracy and that Darius sided with them later. In the second place, Otanes and Darius argued for opposite ideas on two occasions: should the seven wait or strike immediately and should Persia be a democracy or a monarchy? In the third place, Otanes had a powerful claim to the throne because he was the brother of [[Ca(contracted; show full)Otanes had a son [[Patiramphes]], who served as the driver of the [[chariot]] of King [[Xerxes]] during his campaign to [[Greece]]. As we have already seen above, Otanes was probably also the father of Xerxes' first wife, queen [[Amestris]].

==Reference==
*''This entry incorporates public domain text originally by Jona Lendering ©.''

[[Category:Persian people]]

[[de:Otanes]]