Abradatas
Abradatas (Greek: Αβραδάτας; fl. 6th century BC) was a king, probably fictional, of Susa, known to us from Xenophon's partly fictional biography of Cyrus the Great, the Cyropaedia.[1][2] According to it, he was an ally of the Assyrians against Cyrus the Great, while Cyrus was still a vassal to his (also probably fictional) uncle, Cyaxares II.[3]
His wife Panthea was taken by Cyrus on the conquest of the Assyrian camp, while Abradatas was absent on a mission to the Bactrians. In consequence of the honorable treatment [4] which his wife received from Cyrus, he was persuaded to join the latter with his forces. He fell in battle, while fighting against the army of Croesus, during the conquest of Lydia in 547 BC.[3] Inconsolable at his loss, Panthea committed suicide, [5][6] and her example was followed by her three eunuchs. Cyrus had a high mound raised in their honour: on a pillar[7] on the top were inscribed the names of Abradatas and Pantheia in the Syriac characters; and three columns below bore the inscription skēptouchōn (σκηπτούχων) in honour of the eunuchs.[8]
The romance of Abradatas and Pantheia forms a significant part of the latter half of the Cyropaedia.
References
[edit]- ^ Xenophon, Cyropaedia v. 1. § 3, vi. 1. § 31, &c. 4. § 2, &c. vii. 3. § 2, &c.
- ^ Lucian. Imag. 20
- ^ a b Brunner, Christopher Joseph (1984), "Abradatas", Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. 1, Costa Mesa: Mazda Pub, p. 228
- ^ Xenophon Hist., Cyropaedia
Book 6, chapter 4, section 5, line 3:
ἐ
ν δ ὲ τούτῳ ἡ Πάνθεια ἀποχωρῆσ α ι κελεύσασατ ο ὺς παρόντας πάντας ἔλεξεν· Ἀλ λ ' ὅτ ι μέν, ὦ Ἀβραδάτα,ε ἴ τιςκ α ὶ ἄλ λ η πώποτεγ υ ν ὴτ ὸν ἑαυτῆς ἄνδραμ ε ῖζ ο ν τ ῆςα ὑτ ῆςψ υ χ ῆς ἐτίμησεν,ο ἶμαίσ ε γιγνώ- σκειν ὅτ ι κ α ὶ ἐγ ὼ μία τούτωνε ἰμί. τίο ὖν ἐμ ὲδ ε ῖ καθ' ἓν ἕκαστον λέγειν;τ ὰγ ὰρ ἔργαο ἶμαίσ ο ι πιθανώτεραπ α ρ ε -σ χ ῆσθαιτ ῶν ν ῦν λεχθέντων λόγων. ὅμωςδ ὲο ὕτως ἔχουσαπ ρ ὸςσ ὲ ὥσπερσ ὺο ἶσ θ α , ἐπομνύωσ ο ι τ ὴν ἐμ ὴν κ α ὶσ ὴν φιλίαν ἦμ ὴν ἐγ ὼ βούλεσθαι ἂν μ ε τ ὰσ ο ῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γενομένουκ ο ι ν ῇγ ῆν ἐπιέσασθαιμ ᾶλλον ἢζ ῆν μ ε τ 'α ἰσχυνο- μένουα ἰσχυνομένη·ο ὕτως ἐγ ὼκ α ὶσ ὲτ ῶν καλλίστωνκ α ὶ ἐμαυτὴν ἠξίωκα.κ α ὶ Κύρῳδ ὲ μεγάληντ ι ν ὰ δοκῶ ἡμ ᾶς χάριν ὀφείλειν, ὅτ ι μ ε α ἰχμάλωτον γενομένηνκ α ὶ ἐξαι- ρεθεῖσ α ν α ὑτ ῷο ὔτ ε ὡς δούλην ἠξίωσεκ ε κ τ ῆσθαιο ὔτ ε ὡς ἐλευθέραν ἐν ἀτίμῳ ὀνόματι, διεφύλαξεδ ὲσ ο ὶ ὥσπερ ἀδελφοῦ γυναῖκ α λαβών.π ρ ὸςδ ὲκ α ὶ ὅτ ε Ἀράσπας ἀπέστηα ὐτ ο ῦ ὁ ἐμ ὲ φυλάττων, ὑπεσχόμηνα ὐτ ῷ,ε ἴμ ε ἐάσειεπ ρ ὸς - ^ Joannes Rhet., Commentarium in Hermogenis librum
π ε ρ ὶ ἰδ ε ῶν 6, Page 431, line 9: <Ὥσπερ ὁ Ξενοφών·> φησὶγ ὰρ ο ὗτος ἐν πέμ-π τ ῳτ ῆς παιδείας Κύρου,τ ο ῦ πρώτως βασιλεύσαν- τοςΠ ε ρ σ ῶν , ὅτ ι ἡ Πανθία, τεθνῶτοςτ ο ῦ ἀνδρὸς Ἀ- βραδάτου, βασιλέως Σούσων, ὑπ ὸτ ῶν Α ἰγυπτίων,κ α ὶ ἀποκοπείσηςα ὐτ ο ῦτ ῆςχ ε ι ρ ὸς, λαβοῦσ α ταύτην κατεφί-λ ε ι · ἦν γ ὰρ , ὡς ἀπεκόπη, ἁρμοσθεῖσ α τ ῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι·φ η σ ὶ γάρ·κ α ὶ ἡχ ε ὶρ ἐπηκολούθει. - ^ Anonymi In Hermogenem Rhet., Commentarium in librum
π ε ρ ὶ ἰδ ε ῶν Volume 7, page 1078, line 12: Ὁ Ἀβραδάτηςε ἰς πόλεμον τέθνηκε,κ α ὶ ἔκοψαντ ὴν χ ε ῖρ α α ὐτ ο ῦ,κ α ὶ ἡγ υ ν ὴ ἐκράτειτ ῆςχ ε ι ρ ὸςα ὐτ ο ῦ καταφιλοῦσ α ,κ α ὶ ἠκολούθει ἡχ ε ὶρ α ὐτ ο ῦ. - ^
Α υ τ .Σ Τ , 1, 46.Ζ , 3, 5 - ^ Smith, William (1867), "Abradatas", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, p. 3, archived from the original on 2005-12-31, retrieved 2007-09-06
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Abradatas". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. London: John Murray.
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