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Abradatas (Greek: ; fl. 6th century BC) was a king, probably fictional, of Susa, known to us from
Abradatas (Greek: ; fl. 6th century BC) was a king, probably fictional, of Susa, known to us from Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...
's partly fictional biography of Cyrus the Great, the '' Cyropaedia''. According to it, he was an ally of the Assyria
Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
ns against Cyrus the Great, while Cyrus was still a vassal to his (also probably fictional) uncle, Cyaxares II
Cyaxares II was a king of the Medes whose reign is described by the Greek historian Xenophon. Some theories have equated this figure with the " Darius the Mede" named in the Book of Daniel. He is not mentioned in the histories of Herodotus or Ctesi ...
.
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
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. Inconsolable at his loss, Panthea committed suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
,
and her example was followed by her three eunuchs. Cyrus had a high mound raised in their honour: on a pillar on the top were inscribed the names of Abradatas and Pantheia in the Syriac characters; and three columns below bore the inscription ''skēptouchōn'' () in honour of the eunuchs.
The romance of Abradatas and Pantheia forms a significant part of the latter half of the '' Cyropaedia''.
References
Rulers in the Achaemenid Empire Fictional kings History of Khuzestan Province 6th-century BC people {{Iran-royal-stub