Difference between revisions 328984562 and 329294374 on enwiki

[[Image:A Persian nobleman.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A [[Persian people|Persian]] noble man in [[Perspolis]] rock reliefs of [[Persia]]/[[Iran]], probably Otanes.]]

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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.
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    (Herodotus, [[Histories]] 3.83)

That is, at least, Herodotus' story. Perhaps 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 (contracted; show full)

As for Samos, the [[Persia|Persians]] took the entire population like fish in a drag-net, and presented Syloson with an empty island. Some years later, however, Otanes contracted some sort of disease of the genital organs and that, in conjunction with a dream he had, induced him to repopulate the place.
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   ( Histories 3.149;⏎
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    tr. [[Aubrey de Sélincourt]])

This is the last piece of information about Otanes. In [[513 BC]], a new satrap was appointed in Lydia, [[Artaphernes]]. Probably, Otanes had died.

Otanes had a son [[Patiramphes]], who served as the driver of the [[chariot]] of King [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]] during his campaign to [[Greece]]. As we have already seen above, Otanes was probably also the father of Xerxes' first wife, queen [[Amestris]].

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

[[Category:Achaemenid people]]
[[Category:Characters in Herodotus]]

[[ca:Otanes (noble)]]
[[de:Otanes]]
[[es:Ótanes]]
[[he:אוטאנס (בן סיסאמנס)]]
[[hr:Otan]]
[[pl:Otanes]]
[[fi:Otanes]]
[[sv:Otanes]]