Gobryas ( grc, Γοβρύας; peo, 𐎥𐎢𐎲𐎽𐎢𐎺 g-u-b-ru-u-v, reads as ''Gaub(a)ruva''?;
Elamite: ''Kambarma'') was a common name of several
Persian noblemen.
Gobryas (Cyrus the Great's general)
This Gobryas is mentioned in the
Cyropedia
The ''Cyropaedia'', sometimes spelled ''Cyropedia'', is a partly fictional biography of Cyrus the Great, the founder of Persia's Achaemenid Empire. It was written around 370 BC by Xenophon, the Athenian-born soldier, historian, and student of So ...
of
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 ...
as a general who helped in the conquering of
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
.
The A.K. Grayson translation of the
Nabonidus Chronicle, based on that of T.G. Pinches, considers both the names ''Ugbaru'' and ''Gubaru'' found in the latter to be references to this Gobryas. However the names are distinct in the text and refer to two different individuals, the one called ''Gubaru'' being the ruler placed over Babylon thus corresponding to
Cyaxares
Cyaxares (Median language, Median: ; Old Persian: ; Akkadian language, Akkadian: ; Phrygian language, Old Phrygian: ; grc, wikt:Κυαξάρης, Κυαξαρης, Kuaxarēs; Latin: ; reigned 625–585 BCE) was the third king of the Medes.
C ...
of the
Cyropedia
The ''Cyropaedia'', sometimes spelled ''Cyropedia'', is a partly fictional biography of Cyrus the Great, the founder of Persia's Achaemenid Empire. It was written around 370 BC by Xenophon, the Athenian-born soldier, historian, and student of So ...
, not Gobryas. ''Ugbaru'' remains a candidate for Gobryas being described as the ruler of the region of
Gutium dying soon after the conquest of Babylon similarly to Xenophon's portrayal of Gobryas as an elderly "Assyrian" ruler.
According to William H. Shea Ugbaru and Gubaru is the same person, being the ruler placed over Babylon, dying soon after the conquest of Babylon.
Old Testament scholar
Robert Dick Wilson argued that 'Darius the Mede' might be identified as Gobryas, drawing upon the work of
Theophilus Pinches.
George Frederick Wright
George Frederick Wright (January 22, 1838 – April 20, 1921) was an American geologist and a professor at Oberlin Theological Seminary, first of New Testament language and literature (1881 – 1892), and then of "harmony of science and revelati ...
championed the view of Wilson in his ''Scientific Confirmation of Old Testament History''.
Gobryas (the lance-bearer of Darius the Great)
This Gobryas was one of the six helpers of Darius in killing
Gaumāta in September 522 mentioned by
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known fo ...
. He was appointed as Darius' lance carrier (arštibara). He is represented on the
Behistun inscription and on Darius' tomb in
Naqsh-e Rustam
Naqsh-e Rostam ( lit. mural of Rostam, fa, نقش رستم ) is an ancient archeological site and necropolis located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran. A collection of ancient Iranian rock reliefs are cut into t ...
, as:
Gaubaruva \ Pâtišuvariš \ Dârayavahauš \ xšâyathiyahyâ \ arštbara
''Gobryas from Pâtišuvariš, the lance carrier of king Darius.''
Pâtišuvariš may be the mountainous region north of
Alborz
The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
in northern Iran, probably
Mazandaran. In 521, he was sent to
Elam
Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...
to defeat the rebel king Atamaita;
[ ( Behistun Inscription, paragraph 71)] after this, he served as
satrap
A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires.
The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with cons ...
of Elam.
Gobryas' family was closely entwined with the family of
Darius the Great
Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...
. Gobryas married the sister of Darius, known variously as Artazostre or Radušdukda. Their son
Mardonius, was the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of
Xerxes I
Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of D ...
in the
Second Persian invasion of Greece
The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasio ...
, married Darius' daughter
Artazostre
Artazostre (or Artozostre) (Old Persian *''Artazauštrī'') was a Persian princess, daughter of king Darius the Great (521-485 BC) by Artystone, daughter of Cyrus the Great.
According to the Greek historian Herodotus (VI, 43) Artazostre was given ...
. A daughter of Gobryas, from an earlier marriage, was married to Darius.
References
*T. Gaston, ''Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel'', 2009
External links
Gobryas 1
Year of death missing
Median people
Babylonian people
Satraps of the Achaemenid Empire
6th-century BC Iranian people
7th-century BC births
Defectors
Darius the Great
{{ANE-bio-stub