Amytis (daughter of Astyages)
Royal woman in ancient Persia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amytis (c. 540s-c. 520s BCE; Median: *ᴴumati; Ancient Greek: Αμυτις Amutis; Latin: Amytis)[1][2] was an Achaemenid queen consort. She was the daughter of the Median king Astyages, and the wife of Cyrus II.
| Amytis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ecbatana |
| Died | c. 520s BCE Pasargadae |
| Spouse | Spitamas Cyrus the Great |
| Median | *ᴴumati |
| Old Persian | *ᴴumati |
| House | Median |
| Father | Astyages |
| Mother | Aryenis (?) |
| Religion | Ancient Iranian religion |
Name
Life
Amytis was the daughter of the Median king Astyages. Amytis had a paternal aunt, also named Amytis, who was the sister of Astyages and was married to the king Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.[1]
Amytis was married to Spitamas, who was a Median grandee and the prospective successor of Astyages.[1]
After Astyages was overthrown by the Persian king Cyrus, who was his own grandson through his daughter Mandane, and therefore was the nephew of Amytis, Cyrus killed Spitamas and married Amytis to legitimise his rule.[1]
After the murder of Tanyoxarces, Amytis demanded the extradition of his murder from Cyrus's son and successor, Cambyses II. When her demands were not met, she committed suicide by drinking poison.[1]
