| Mandane | |
|---|---|
 Astyages' dream | |
| Born | c. 600BC Media |
| Died | 559 BC ? Persis |
| Burial | Gur-e-Dokhtar (?) |
| Spouse | Cambyses I |
| Issue | Cyrus the Great |
| House | Achaemenid |
| Father | Astyages |
| Mother | Aryenis (?) |
| Religion | Indo-Iranian religion[1] |
Mandane (Greek:Μανδάνη,Mandánē) was aMedianprincess and, later, thequeen consort of the Persian kingCambyses I and the mother ofCyrus the Great, the founder of theAchaemenid Empire. The name likely originates from theOld Iranian*Mandanā-, which means “delighting,cheerful”.[2][3]
Mandane was the daughter ofAstyages, but the name of her mother is not mentioned. It is said that Astyages marriedAryenis in 585 BC, but it is unlikely that Aryenis was the mother of Mandane. She possibly was the daughter of a previous wife of Astyages.[4] According to the Greek historianHerodotus, Astyages had a dream in which his daughter stood before him, and suddenly a vine began to grow from her back, extending its tendrils to cover all of Asia. He called upon theMagi and priests to interpret the dream, and they explained that the vine represented his grandson, the son of Mandane, who would take his place on the throne and rule over all of Asia. In 577 BC, when Mandane reached marriageable age, Astyages gave her in marriage toCambyses I, a Persian with noble ancestry who was mild-mannered and held a lower position than the Medes. Therefore, he did not believe that Cambyses I would pose a threat to his kingdom.[5] Mandane's marriage to Cambyses was encouraged by Astyages to strengthen the bonds between theMedes andPersians.[6][7]
Mandane gave birth to a son named Cyrus, whom Astyages ordered to be executed byHarpagus. However, Harpagus handed the child over to a shepherd and lied to Astyages, saying that Cyrus had been killed. When Cyrus grew up, his grandfather Astyages discovered that he was alive and allowed him to return to his parents in Persia.Xenophon also mentions Mandane in his workCyropaedia. According to his story, Mandane and her son traveled to the court of Astyages, where the adolescent Cyrus surprised his grandfather, who decided to keep him at the court. Mandane, however, returned to her husband Cambyses I in Persia. After several years, Cyrus asked Astyages to let him return to Persia, but some time after his departure fromEcbatana, thePersian Revolt began.[8] Astyages' dreams and their interpretation became reality when Cyrus led the revolt that resulted in the overthrow of Astyages from the throne, the fall of theMedian kingdom, and the rise of theAchaemenid Empire.
Mandane serves as the genealogical link connecting the kings of theAchaemenid dynasty with the ancientMedian royal family.[9] Some scholars have suggested that theGur-e Dokhtar tomb, discovered in 1960, could be the burial site of Mandane. However, other scholars believe that the tomb might belong toAtossa,Teispes, orCyrus I.[10]
There is some doubt about the historical accuracy of the marriage between Cambyses and Mandane. The Median mother of Cyrus may have been invented to justify the later Persian rule over the Medes.[11] It appears that the purpose of this story is to establish a direct relationship between Astyages and Cyrus, that is, between Media and Persia. Due to the historical record of the battle between Astyages and Cyrus and the conquest of Media by Cyrus as reported in theNabonidus Chronicle, the story of the marriage between Cambyses I and Mandane, as well as the birth of Cyrus from this couple, is highly questionable in terms of its historicity.[2] There is also the account byCtesias, which claims that Cyrus married a daughter of Astyages namedAmytis. If both the accounts of Ctesias and Herodotus are correct, then Cyrus marrying Amytis would be an unusual case ofincest, as he would be marrying his aunt.[4] Nevertheless, Herodotus' account is considered reliable by most modern scholars, such asGeorge G. Cameron.[12]
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