Category:Darius I (subject)
Darius I (Darius the Great) was King of Persia, from 522 BCE to his death in 486 BCE.
- Persian Kings: ... -> Cambyses II -> Darius I -> Xerses I -> ...
Overview
Darius I emerged as the winner in the power struggle that divided the Persian Empire in the year 522, following the death of Cambyses II and the brief reign of Bardiya. Darius' genealogical relation, if any, with the royal house is not clear.
Darius' military and administrative abilities over a period of nearly 40 years greatly consolidated the Persian Empire. He divided it into semi-autonomous provinces and placed governors to govern them. The unity of the empire was guaranteed by creating a very effective bureaucracy, and adopting Aramaic as the common language and a unitary monetary system.
In the last years of his kingdom, Darius led the first unsuccessful Persian attempt at invading Greece, which ended with the defeat in the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE).
At his death in 486 BCE, Darius was succeeded by his son Xerses I.
Darius I and the Jews
As King of Persia, Darius I was the ruler of Judea. Darius I's internal policy marked a major shift also in Israel, as it reveals the attempt to reconstruct a political semi-autonomous authority within the old boundaries of the former kingdom of Judah. It was under Darius I that the Second Temple was build, initially under the dual leadership of the Davidic Zerubbabel and the Zadokite Joshua. It remains unclear what pushed Darius to do away with Zerubbabel. The political authority did not disappear, because instead of Zerubbabel there was now a Persian governor, but the end of the House of David had a profound impact on the political and religious life of Israel. The Zadokite priesthood emerged as the supreme Jewish authority, inheriting many of the functions and prerogatives of the ancient kings. Nebuchadnezzar would always be remembered in Jewish tradition as the villain who put an end to the Davidic monarchy and Cyrus as the liberator who ended the Babylonian exile. But It was Darius I's political decisions that reshaped Judaism as we known it in the Second Temple Period.
Darius I in ancient sources
- Darius I (sources) -- survey of ancient sources
Related categories
- Persian Kings (subject)
- High Priests (subject) / Zadokites (subject) / Joshua (subject)
- Davidic Kings (subject) / Zerubbabel (subject)
External links
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