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“These Persians were the first who came from Asia into Hellas, and they came to view the country for this reason.”
HERODOTUS, HISTORIES, BOOK 3.138; A. D. GODLEY TRANSLATION
Summary
As his first acts as king, Darius divided the Persian empire into twenty satrapies (provinces)—each with their own fixed yearly tribute. Neither Cyrus or Cambyses ever imposed a fixed tribute from their territories. This earned Darius the nickname “The Merchant” because he tried to make a profit out of everything possible.
After talking about how the Indians and Arabians got their respective resources which were paid as tribute (like gold dust and frankincense), Herodotus then sets up how the Persians made contact with the Greek mainlands for the first time. It started with a Persian governor named Oroetes. Before king Cambyses died, Oroetes sought to end the life of Polycrates, the king of Samos, even though he never did anything to Oroetes before. He successfully murdered Polycrates by tricking him into believing he would be paid well if he served as Oroetes’ escort after making up a story that Cambyses was after his life. Polycrates, with a retinue of servants, slaves, and warriors, met up with Oroetes in Magnesia and was murdered there. Oroetes let the Samians who were with Polycrates go home, but the non-Samians became his slaves.
During the confusion of the Magi coup and the counter-strike to retake the throne for the Persians, Oroetes killed a prominent Persian who had offended him and additionally killed a messenger of Darius because he didn’t like the message. As a result of all these crimes, Darius wanted Oroetes punished, but had go about it carefully because Oroetes was a powerful governor at the time. Darius assembled the most prominent Persians and asked them what could be done to punish Oroetes. With a drawing of lots, it fell to a man named Bagaeus to come up with a plan. Bagaeus wrote up several letters, stamped with Darius’ seal, and went to Sardis where Oroetes was governor. He showed one letter to Oroetes’ guard which ordered them to cease guarding him and they obeyed. Bagaeus then gave them another letter which ordered them to kill Oroetes and they obeyed this letter as well. Oroetes’ slaves and possessions were then brought to Susa, one of the Persian capitals. One of the slaves was Democedes, who had been the personal physician of Polycrates.
On one occasion, Darius had twisted his ankle getting off his horse and the Egyptian physicians only made it worse. After days of agonizing pain, someone found out about Democedes and had him brought to Darius. At first, Democedes denied he was a physician because he was afraid if Darius found out about his skill, he would never be allowed to return to Greece. However, when Darius threatened to torture him, Democedes relented and successfully fixed Darius’ foot. Because Darius thought his foot would be crippled forever, he rewarded Democedes with a lot of gold, a grand house, and a seat at his dinner table.
Shortly after, Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus and one of Darius’ wives, began to get a swelling on her breast which began to spread. She consulted Democedes and he assured her he could heal her, but in return she needed to do something for him. When she agreed, he healed her and then requested she help him get back to Greece. Atossa went to Darius and advised him to put on hold his plans to invade the Scythians and instead begin preparations to invade Greece. Furthermore, she advised him to make Democedes a guide for these preparations. Darius agreed to this and assembled a Persian fleet to sail around Greece and make maps of the coasts. He ordered them to keep a close eye on Democedes and make sure he comes back with them after their job was job.
The expedition came to an end when they came to Tarentum in Italy and the king seized the Persians and allowed Democedes to flee back to his home in Croton. When the Persians were let go, they immediately went to Croton and found Democedes, however the people there refused to let the Persians take him despite threats they would incur the wrath of Persia. After a long journey, the Persian expedition finally made it back home.
This was the first time Persia made any sort of contact with mainland Greece.
Power and Worthiness
There are two other stories after the Persians make contact with the mainland Greeks that Herodotus relays. The first is how how Darius conquered Samos, and within it is another interesting story about the nature of government, rulership, and power. This will make it the third or fourth interesting story about government in Herodotus’ account.
During the Persian expedition to map the coasts of the mainland Greeks, Darius conquered Samos. Back when Cambyses was conquering Egypt and Darius was just a guard of no importance, Syloson the exiled brother of Polycrates, gave him a red cloak which he admired. When Syloson found out Darius became king, he had an audience with him and told him he was the man who gave him the red cloak. When Darius offered him gold, Syloson asked instead to be given charge of Samos. After Polycrates’ death, one of his servants, a man named Maeandrius ended up becoming ruler.
Darius agreed and sent Otanes, one of the seven of took the throne back from the Magi, with an army to assist Syloson. When they got to Samos, no one resisted them and Maeandrius was allowed to leave peacefully. However, Maeandrius’ brother, who had just been in prison, convinced him to let him take charge of their faction and attack the Persians while Maeandrius escaped. Maeandrius liked this idea, as he didn’t want Syloson to just have Samos without some resistance. The brother attacked the Persians and killed the prominent ones among them. When Otanes found out, he ignored Darius’ orders to not kill or enslave the Samians and had every male killed that the Persians could find. Afterward, he handed control over to Syloson. Due to apparent divine punishment though, Otanes later ends up helping Syloson resettle Samos.
Maeandrius is the interesting character study in this story. Herodotus writes that when Maeandrius came to power, he built an altar to Zeus the Liberator in the suburb of the city, then called an assembly of the citizens. Here is a part of his speech:
“To me, as you know, have come Polycrates’ scepter and all of his power, and it is my power now to rule you. But I, so far as it lies in me, shall not do myself what I blame in my neighbor. I always disliked it that Polycrates or any other man should lord it over men like himself. Polycrates has fulfilled his destiny, and inviting you to share his power I proclaim equality.”
Herodotus, Histories, Book 3.141; A. D. Godley translation
Maeandrius then said all he asked in return was a portion of Polycrates’ wealth for himself. However, a prominent citizen stood up and told Maeandrius that he isn’t fit to rule because he was low-born and that he needed to be held accountable for the money he had handled so far. Then, Herodotus writes this:
But Maeandrius, realizing that if he let go of the sovereignty someone else would make himself sovereign instead, resolved not to let it go. Withdrawing into the acropolis, he sent for the citizens individually as if he would give an account of the money; then he seized and bound them.
Herodotus, Histories, Book 3.142; A. D. Godley translation
Later, one of Maeandrius’ brothers then had those prisoners executed after Maeandrius fell ill and was believed to be dying. And, as we read in the summary, it was another of Maeandrius’ brothers who convinced them to resist the Persians which caused most of the males in Samos to be wiped out.
When Maeandrius escapes Samos, he went to Sparta where he flaunted his wealth and appeared to be using it to gain favors with the prominent men there. This concerned the king of Sparta and the magistrates and they ended up kicking Maeandrius out. That was the last Herodotus wrote of him.
There are so many interesting parts to this story.
Maeandrius at first wanted to give up his power and make everyone on Samos equal. However, it became obvious very quickly that if he tried to, someone else would just become ruler instead (like the prominent citizen who objected to his rule for being low-born). Maeandrius wanted to bring equality, or democracy, or something like that, to Samos, but the Samians rejected it. Lesson: You can’t force a system of government on a people who don’t want it—no matter how just or superior you think that system of government is. Another Lesson: Someone will always take charge. It will either be you, or it will be someone else.
When Maeandrius realized someone else would just rule instead, he decided to keep the power for himself. Then, he imprisoned his political enemies. Maeandrius claimed he wanted to bring equality, but when it became obvious that wouldn’t happen, he decided he would rather be ruler instead of standing by the nice words he preached. Then, he removed anyone who would get in his way. Maybe it was because he was hiding his own corruption. Maybe he was an ideologue who thought he could implement the next best thing to equality. Lesson: Pay attention to an ideologues actions, not his words. Also, ideologues are tyrants in the making.
One of Maeandrius’ brothers had the prisoners executed. Another outraged the Persians and caused the wholesale slaughter of Samian males. Maeandrius himself flaunted his wealth in Sparta and tried to buy favors. Neither of the brothers seemed to know how to handle power or authority. Maeandrius didn’t seem to know how to handle wealth or navigate the social subtleties of nobility. Lesson: Not everyone is fit to rule—no matter their nice sounding slogans or access to resources.
Giving All For The Cause
The second interesting story is about the Persian named Zopyrus. Zopyrus was the son of Megabyzus, one of the seven who helped take back control of the throne from the Magi.
While the coup was happening, Babylon took the opportunity to make preparations to rebel against Persia. During the events at Samos, the Babylonians revolted. Darius sent his army to Babylon, but for almost two years they made no progress due to Babylon’s walls, gates, and provisions. They even taunted the Persians by saying a mule would give birth before they would take back Babylon.
One day, however, Zopyrus witnessed the unbelievable: a mule giving birth. Believing this was a sign, he asked Darius if Babylon was very important to him. When Darius affirmed that it was, Zopyrus cut off his ears and nose, destroyed his hair, and whipped himself, then presented himself to Darius again. Darius was outraged and wanted to know who did that to Zopyrus. Zopyrus revealed that he did it to himself because he had a plan to take back Babylon. He would pretend to have been punished by Darius and desert to the Babylonians. Then, at fixed times, Darius would send parts of his army to certain gates which Zopyrus would tell the Babylonians about beforehand in order to gain their trust. Finally, Darius would then have the whole army attack Babylon on all sides while leaving a unit of Persians at certain gates which Zopyrus would let in.
Darius agreed to the plan. Zopyrus presented himself as a deserter to the Babylonians and was taken in because of how sorry of a state he was in. Then, when he predicted all the different attacks Darius launched against Babylon, the Babylonians began to trust Zopyrus so much they gave him command of his own army and gave him the keys to the gates. When Darius attacked all sides of Babylon, Zopyrus occupied his army with that attack while he went to the gates where the Persian units were stationed and let them inside the city. Before long, Babylon was once again in the hands of the Persians. Darius then tore down the walls and all the gates to keep a revolt like that from happening again.
Herodotus then writes:
There never was in Darius’ judgment any Persian before or after who did better service than Zopyrus, except Cyrus, with whom no Persian could compare himself. Darius is said to have declared that he would rather Zopyrus were free of disfigurement than have twenty Babylons on top of the one he had.
Herodotus, Histories, Book 3.160; A. D. Godley translation
Zopyrus would then be made governor of Babylon and not have to pay tribute. His son would become one of the generals during the Persian War.
The lengths Zopyrus was willing to go to get Darius what he wanted is awe inspiring. As soon as Zopyrus saw an opportunity to act, believed he would succeed, and confirmed that his king really wanted to retake Babylon, he carried out his plan without hesitation.
How many people would be willing to permanently disfigure themselves, inflict wounds on themselves, live among the enemy, and risk his life for a cause?
I just recently read a book called Dedication and Leadership by Douglas Hyde. Hyde had been a member of the Communist Party in Britain for twenty years before leaving it and converting to Catholicism. In the book, he details just how committed and devoted the Communists were for their cause and argues that that was why, even though they were so few in number, they were affecting the culture and politics far more than the Catholic Church who had many times more members. He documented men who rotted in third world jails and peasants who went headlong into a battlefront where they knew they were going to die. All for the Communist Party. All to ensure a future they dreamed their children and grandchildren would have.
It was a challenging read for me. As it was published in 1966, it requires updating Hyde’s advice and observations for the 2020s, but the overarching theme of dedication to a higher cause is universal across time.
There’s so much cynicism, skepticism, and nihilism in our culture today that it’s difficult not to be affected by it. It makes it difficult to see any cause as worthy of sacrificial dedication—even my own Christian faith—because it cultivates so much self-centeredness in the person. How do I break through those stifling philosophies? How was Zopyus able to steel himself for the life altering decisions he was about to make? How were those Communist peasants able to make themselves so willing to die for a cause they won’t see come to fruition?
Only more questions I don’t have answers for.
I wrote a review for Dedication and Leadership for my blog which you can find here. It also includes some details of the time I spent in a cult in the late 2000s.
That's all for the Histories, Book 3.89-160.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos Anodos
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Thumbnail: The Babylonians Deriding Darius by Jacob Abbott. 1900. Public domain.