| Atossa | |
|---|---|
 Tomb of Darius the Great, where Atossa was also buried | |
| Queen mother of theAchaemenid Empire | |
| Tenure | 486–476 BC |
| Coronation | 486 BC |
| Successor | Amestris |
| Queen consort of theAchaemenid Empire | |
| Tenure | 520–486 BC |
| Coronation | 520 BC |
| Predecessor | Cassandane |
| Successor | Amestris |
| Born | c. 550 BC |
| Died | 475 BC |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Darius the Great |
| Issue | Xerxes I Hystaspes Masistes Achaemenes |
| House | Achaemenid |
| Father | Cyrus the Great |
| Mother | Cassandane |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Atossa (Old Persian:Utauθa, orOld Iranian:Hutauθa; 550–475 BC) was anAchaemenid empress. She was the daughter ofCyrus the Great, the sister ofCambyses II, the wife ofDarius the Great, the mother ofXerxes the Great and the grandmother ofArtaxerxes I.
ThePersian name "Atossa" (or "Atusa") means "bestowing very richly" or "well trickling" or "well granting". Atossa is theGreek (Ancient Greek:Ἄτοσσα) transliteration of theOld Persian nameUtauθa. Her name inAvestan isHutaosā.[1]
Queen Atossa is the most famous bearer of this name, however, the name Atossa appears to have been a traditional one within the Achaemenid clan. According to the genealogy of theKings of Cappadocia, the name Atossa was also borne by a sister ofCambyses I[2] and sister-wife ofArtaxerxes II.[3]
Atossa was born in 550 BCE as the eldest daughter ofCyrus the Great and his wifeCassandane.[1] Cassandane, an Achaemenian and the daughter of Pharnaspes, bore Cyrus two sons,Cambyses II andBardiya, as well as three daughters: Atossa,Artystone, and Roxane. Cyrus and Cassandane were known to share a deeply loving relationship. Following the death of Cyrus, both Atossa and Artystone were married toDarius the Great.
Atossa was first married to her brother,Cambyses II, the son and successor ofCyrus the Great, as his first consort. In Achaemenid Persia, marriages between close family members, such as half-siblings, nieces, and cousins, were not uncommon and were not regarded as incestuous, yet brother-sister and father-daughter marriages were frowned upon. According toHerodotus, Cambyses supposedly married two of his sisters, Atossa and Roxane.[4] This would have been regarded as illegal. However, Herodotus also states that Cambyses marriedOtanes' daughter Phaidyme, whilst his contemporaryCtesias names Roxane as Cambyses' wife, but she is not referred to as his sister.[4] Hence it remains problematic to determine the reliability of these accounts.
Accusations against Cambyses for committing incest are used as a way to vilify him: painting him as mad and vain. This is a common historiographical issue faced in many older historical texts on Persia. For example, one of the primary records of his incestuous acts is from an Egyptian text which antagonizes many of his actions, far beyond incest. However, many of the allegations within the text, such as the killing of theApis bull, have been confirmed as false, which means that the report of Cambyses' supposed incestuous acts are also contestable.[4]
Atossa bore no children with Cambyses, and his reign concluded abruptly with his death in the spring or summer of 522 BCE.[4]
Following Cambyses’ death, the empire entered a period of political instability. A usurper namedGaumata, who claimed to beBardiya (Cambyses’ younger brother and the son of Cyrus the Great), seized power. Bardiya’s death was not known to the public, which allowed Gaumata, a Magian priest from Media, to proclaim himself king near the Persian town of Paishiyauvada.[5] During this tumultuous period, Atossa was passed into Gaumata’s harem. This situation was short-lived however, asDarius the Great overthrew Gaumata, took possession of the harem and claimed the throne. To legitimize his rule, Darius took wives from the noblest houses of Persia, marrying Cyrus' daughters Atossa andArtystone, as well asParmys, Atossa’s niece. Atossa was granted the status of Darius’ primary consort and queen.[1]
InHistories, Herodotus referred to Atossa as a woman who had been a wife of her brother Cambyses and afterwards of the Magus,[6] while he described Artystone as a virgin.[6] According to Herodotus, Artystone was Darius’ favourite wife,[7] yet Atossa wielded considerably more influence in the Achaemenid Court, and it was Atossa’s sonXerxes I who succeeded Darius’ throne. Darius the Great and Atossa shared a common great-great grandfatherTeispes, the King ofAnshan, who ruled from 675 to 640 BCE. Teispes was the son ofAchaemenes, the eponymous founder of the Achaemenid dynasty. Darius himself was a distant relative with the family of Cryus but not a direct descendant. Darius and Atossa’s union was politically significant, as it connected Darius to the lineage ofCyrus the Great, thereby reinforcing his claim to the throne. Scholars have argued that Darius’ marriage to Atossa was motivated by a desire to legitimize his collateralAchaemenid line by aligning himself with the family of Cyrus, the empire’s founder.[1]
Atossa and Darius had four sons: Xerxes, Hystaspes, Masistes, and Achaemenes.[8] Xerxes, the eldest, succeeded Darius as King of Kings, ruling the Achaemenid Empire from 486 to 465 BCE. Hystaspes commanded the Bactrian and Saka troops in Xerxes’ army, Masistes served as one of Xerxes’ leading generals, and Achaemenes was appointed admiral of the Egyptian fleet.[9] According to Herodotus in Histories IX, Atossa’s sons Xerxes andMasistes shared a deeply troubled and deteriorated relationship as Xerxes fell in love with the wife of Masistes, but eventually brutally ordered her to be mutilated and killed.[10] This prompted Masistes to start a revolt against Xerxes in 478 BC, which eventually led to his execution along with his followers and three sons.
Atossa remained married to Darius until his death in 486 BCE. Both were buried atNaqsh-e Rustam, the royal necropolis of the Achaemenid kings.
Atossa wielded significant influence due to her lineage, intelligence, and status as the daughter ofCyrus the Great and wife ofDarius I. According to Herodotus, Atossa, motivated by her desire to acquire Attic,Argive, andCorinthian maidservants, induced Darius I to launch an expedition against the Greeks. At her instigation a Persian expedition reconnoitered the Greek coasts and surveyed Greek naval power. This expedition, guided byDemocedes of Croton—Atossa’s personal physician who treated her breast tumor and Darius’ trusted healer—was successful in gathering intelligence. However, Democedes seized the opportunity to escape, as recounted by Herodotus[11] and Timaeus.[12]
Atossa’s influence extended beyond military strategy to the realm of succession politics. Around 487 BCE, she secured Darius’ support for the succession of her son,Xerxes I, despite him not being the eldest of Darius’ children. Darius had at least twelve sons in total and three sons by his first wife, the daughter ofGobryas,[13] but Atossa’s advocacy ensured Xerxes’ appointment as commander-in-chief of the Persian army, solidifying his position as the heir apparent.[14][15] The succession was further reinforced by symbolic gestures, such as the placement of a frieze near the northern stairs of the Audience hall (Apadana) ofPersepolis as early as 495 BCE, depicting Darius with Xerxes as the crown prince.[16] All Persians who went to celebrate the New Year’s Festival could see the intended successor through the public display.
Following Darius’ death, the transition of power to Xerxes was remarkably smooth. While there was minor unrest in Egypt and Babylonia, there were no significant rebellions comparable to those at the end of Cambyses’ reign. The absence of large-scale civil war can be attributed in part to Atossa’s authority and the legitimacy of her offspring for rulership.
During Xerxes’ reign, Atossa held the esteemed position of queen-mother. Atossa’s unparalleled position in Persian history is underscored by her title as “Lady,” a religious honorific previously granted only toAnahita.[17] Since Atossa, this title was gradually yet still rarely granted to Persian queens.
Atossa’s dignified presence is immortalized inAeschylus’ tragedyThe Persians, where she is portrayed as a central and respected figure. Aeschylus first described Atossa during her entrance in the play as having “light in her eyes like that of gods,”[18] and the chorus referred to her as “supreme among deep-girdled Persian women.”[19] In the play, the late Darius I, summoned from Hades by the chorus, explicitly endorses her influence over Xerxes.[20]
Nothing is known about Atossa’s death, however,Aeschylus’The Persians indicates that she was still alive when Xerxes invaded Greece. (The absence of her name in thePersepolis fortification tablets does not necessarily indicate her death at that time, as argued by W. Hinz.[21]) Hence it can be inferred that Atossa lived a long life well into her seventies, until or after Xerxes returned from the Iran-Greece war front in 479 BCE. She was buried atNaqsh-e Rustam, the same royal burial site as Darius the Great and Xerxes I.
Herodotus records inThe Histories that Atossa was troubled with a bleeding lump in her breast. Greek slave and renowned physician,Democedes, excised the tumor.[22] This is the first recorded case ofmastitis,[23] sometimes interpreted as a sign of aninflammatory breast cancer.[22]
InThe Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer bySiddhartha Mukherjee, an Indian-born American physician and oncologist, he imagines Atossa travelling through time, encountering various diagnoses and treatments for her breast cancer. Today, Queen Atossa continues to be the emblematic figure of breast cancer sufferers across history.
Atossa's life and history is recorded byHerodotus inThe Histories as a strong woman with considerable influence within the Achaemenid court.
Atossa is a central character inAeschylus's tragedyThe Persians.
She is also one of the major characters in theGore Vidal's epic historical fiction novelCreation.
Atossa is represented as a breast cancer patient inSiddhartha Mukherjee's bookThe Emperor of All Maladies.
Dr.Jason Fung references Atossa's inflammatory breast cancer in his bookThe Cancer Code.
Minor planet810 Atossa discovered byMax Wolf is named in her honor.
PoetMatthew Arnold named his Persian cat "Atossa". She is celebrated in his 1882 poemPoor Matthias, which is about the death of a pet canary.
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