The Cadusian Campaign was a military campaign of King

Artaxerxes II of Persia Arses ( grc-gre, Ἄρσης; 445 – 359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II ( peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 358 BC. He was the son and suc ...

in 385 BC against the

Cadusii The Cadusii (also called Cadusians; grc, Καδούσιοι, ''Kadoúsioi''; Latin: ''Cadusii'') were an ancient Iranian tribe that lived in the mountains between Media and the shore of the Caspian Sea. The area that the Cadusii lived in bordere ...

. The origins of the campaign are not attested in historical sources, but it was probably in response to a revolt of the Cadusii and the refusal of paying tribute.Rollin 1820, p. 58 The Cadusii people lived in a mountainous district of

Media Atropatene Atropatene ( peo, Ātṛpātakāna; grc, Ἀτροπατηνή), also known as Media Atropatene, was an ancient Iranian kingdom established in by the Persian satrap Atropates. The kingdom, centered in present-day northern Iran, was ruled by A ...

on the south-west shores of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

, between the parallels of 39° and 37° North latitude, called for its inhabitants Cadusia. This district was probably bounded on the North by the river Cyrus (today Kura, in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

, historically known as Arran and Caucasian Albania), and on the South by the river Mardus (today

Sefid River The Sefid-Rud ( fa, سفیدرود, lit=white river, glk, اسپي بيه, ''Espī bīeh'') (also known as Sepid-Rud) is a river approximately long, rising in the Alborz mountain range of northwestern Iran and flowing generally northeast to en ...

), and corresponds with the modern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian provinces of Gilan and

Ardabil Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...

. They are described by Strabo Strabo, ''Geography''
xi. 678

13
/ref> as a warlike tribe of mountaineers, fighting chiefly on foot, and well skilled in the use of the short spear or javelin. Artaxerxes organized an expedition that, according to

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

, consisted of 300,000 infantry soldiers and 10,000 cavalry soldiers.

, '' Parallel Lives'', "Artaxerxes"
24
/ref> He commanded the expedition in person and among the officers accompanying him were

Tiribazus Tiribazus, Tiribazos or Teribazus (Old Iranian: ''Tīrībāzu'') (c.440 BC-370 BC) was an Achaemenid satrap of Western Armenia and later satrap of Lydia in western Anatolia. Satrap of Western Armenia He was highly regarded by the Persian King Ar ...

and

Datames Datames (Old Persian: ''Dātama'' or ''Dātāma'', Aramaic: ''Tadanmu'', grc, Δατάμης, Datámēs; 407 BC – 362 BC), also known as Tarkamuwa, was an Iranian military leader, who served as the governor (satrap) of the Achaemenid satrapy of ...

. Advancing inside enemy territory, it didn't take long before the army started to suffer from starvation.Rollin 1820, p. 59 The mountainous terrain offered little food but some

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

s, and other tree-fruits insufficient to feed such a host of fighting men. The army was reduced to eating their own beasts of burden first and later their own cavalry mounts. Tiribazus found a solution to resolve the campaign and save the King's army. He knew that the Cadusii were divided between two rival chiefs so he sent his son to negotiate with one while he negotiated with the other.Rollin 1820, p. 59 Both Tiribazus and his son convinced the Cadusii chiefs that the other had sent envoys to the Persian King and sought an advantageous peace.Rollin 1820, p. 59 Neither of the two chiefs wanting to be outmaneuvered by their rival, they submitted to Artaxerxes.Rollin 1820, p. 59 With the successful negotiations concluded the army retreated, ending the campaign.

References

Sources

*{{cite book, last=Rollin, first=Charles, authorlink=Charles Rollin, title=The ancient history of the Egyptians, Carthagininas, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwgPAAAAYAAJ, volume=4, year=1820, publisher=Collins and co. 380s BC conflicts 4th century BC in Iran Wars involving the Achaemenid Empire Artaxerxes II Cadusii Wars involving Iranian peoples History of Talysh