Atropates

Atropates (Greek: Ατροπατης, Old Pers. Atarepata ) was under the Persian king Darius III. Satrap of Media.

When Alexander the Great in 331 BC pushed forward to Mesopotamia, Atropates held the command on both the Median troops, as well as on auxiliary contingents of Kadusier, the Albanians and the Sakesiner, peoples who settled north of media in the territory of present-day Azerbaijan. In the Battle of Gaugamela, the Persian army suffered a defeat entscheindende against the Macedonians. Nevertheless, Alexander decided after the death of Darius, Persian proven leaders in setting up administrative recourse, much to the displeasure of many of his Macedonian campaigner. In this context, Atropates with the administration of the satrapy of Media was commissioned. As part of Alexander's Macedonian- Persian fusion policy daughter was Atropates ' 324 BC in Susa married to Perdiccas.

After Alexander's death, the southern media went to Ecbatana to the satraps Pheiton, Atropates remained satrap in the northern media. He managed to survive the Diadochenkriege and was able to assert itself an independent power position between the rival empires. So, in the north of the Medes a separate kingdom, which was named after him Atropatene and that stretched between the Lake Urmia and the Caspian Sea, while the southern media became part of the Seleucid Empire.

Atropates was the founder of its own dynasty in Atropatene that could hold up to the time of the Roman- Parthian conflict for over three centuries, while anknüpfte more to older Achaemenid than to Hellenistic traditions.

Diodorus handed the spelling Atrapes. How long Atropates reigned and when he died, is no longer determine exactly.

Footnotes

Swell

• Diodorus - Bibliotheca
• Arrian - Anabasis Alexandri
• Junianus Justinus - Historiarum Philippicarum