Artystone (Old Persian:*R̥tastūnā;[1]Ancient Greek:ἈρτυστώνηArtustṓnē;ElamiteIr-taš-du-na,Ir-da-iš-du-na) also known asIrtašduna in theFortification tablets, was anAchaemenid princess, daughter of kingCyrus the Great, and sister ofCambyses II,Atossa andSmerdis.[2] Along with Atossa and her nieceParmys, Artystone married kingDarius I.[3] It is argued that by marrying the female offspring of Cyrus, the founder of the empire, the new king aimed to prevent his rule from being contested,[4] since Darius himself was not of royal blood.[5]
Artystone and Darius had at least two sons,Arsames andGobryas, and a daughter,Artazostre. According to the Greek historianHerodotus, Artystone was Darius' favourite wife.[6]
According toJames Ussher, Artystone may have been another name for the biblical queenEsther, sinceHerodotus also called her Artystone the Virgin.[7] While Esther is commonly known as the wife ofXerxes orArtaxerxes, the Book of Esther lists her cousinMordecai as present duringNebuchadnezzar's capture ofJeconiah[8] in 599 BC, andJosephus referencing him as a contemporary of Darius,[9] making it impossible for Mordecai to be alive during Xerxes' or Artexerxes' reigns.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)...Artystone daughter of Cyrus, whom Darius loved best of his wives; he had an image made of her of hammered gold.
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