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'Atropates' (Greek Aτρoπάτης, from Old Persian ''Aturpat'' "protected by fire"^[1]) was an Persian nobleman who served Darius III, then Alexander the Great, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that was named after him. Diodorus (18.4) referrs to him as 'Atrapes', while Quintus Curtius (8.3.17) erroneously names him 'Arsaces'.

Contents

Biography

Legacy

References

Biography

Towards the end of the Achaemenid Empire, Atropates was governor (''satrap'') of the Achaemenid province of Media. In the decisive Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) between Darius and Alexander, Atropates commanded the Achaemenid troops of Media, Caucasian Albania and Sacasene (part of present-day Armenia).
Following Darius's death in that battle, Atropates went over and joined Alexander.¹ Although Alexander subsequently chose another governor for Media, in 328-327 BCE Atropates was reinstated to his old position. In 325-324, Atropates delivered Baryaxes (a sought-after rebel of the region) to Alexander while the latter was at Pasargadae. Alexander's esteem for the governor rose "so high"¹ that soon afterwards Atropates' daughter was married to Alexander's confidant and cavalry commander Perdiccas at the famous mass wedding at Susa in 324 BCE. "It was related by some authors, that Atropates on one occasion presented Alexander with a hundred women, said to be Amazons; but Arrian ([Anabasis] vii. 13) disbelieved the story."^[2]
Following Alexander's death and the "Partition of Babylon" in 323 BCE, Media was divided into two parts: Peithon, a general of Perdiccas, received governorship of the greater portion while Atropes - as son-in-law of Perdiccas - only retained control of a small portion in the north west (principally around the Araxes River basin). Shortly thereafter, Atropates refused to convey allegiance to the diadochi and made his part of Media an independent kingdom.

Legacy

The dynasty Atropates founded would rule the kingdom for several centuries, at first either independendantly or as vassals of the Seleucids, then as vassals of the Arsacids, into whose house they "are said"^[3] to have married.
The region that encompassed Atropates' kingdom come to be known to the Greeks as "Media Atropatene" after Atropates, and eventually simply "Atropatene". The Arsacids called it 'Aturpatakan' in Parthian, as did also the Sassanids who eventually succeeded them. Eventually Middle Iranian 'Aturpatakan' became 'Azerbaijan', whence the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Iranian province of Azerbaijan get their name.^[4]

References

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