Gobryas

Gobryas ( Old Persian: Gaubaruva, Elamite: Kambarma ), son of Marduniya, was a Persian nobleman of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC.

Conspirator

Gobryas was in the year 522 BC, in addition to Otanes Ardumaniš, Intaphrenes, Hydarnes, Megabyzos and Darius one of the seven conspirators against the usurper Gaumata. He was next to Ardumaniš one of the first, which was inaugurated by Otanes in the secret usurpation of the Persian throne by the magician. He dedicated it to a Megabyzos. During the fight in the royal apartments located Gobryas had thrown on Gaumata and said to have been ready for self -sacrifice, he exhorted by Darius to pierce him with the sword so as to make even the Gaumata. But Darius was able to kill the usurper without needing to violate Gobryas.

After the successful transfer of power Gobryas struck 520 BC the revolt of the Elamites down. After that, he will once again BC named as participants in the campaign against the Scythians on the Danube 513. The last time Gobryas is called in a to the year 498 BC to be dated as clay tablet from Persepolis.

At the court of Darius I Gobryas had taken one of the highest honors. On the king in Naqsch -e Rostam grave he is immortalized in the function of the royal " lance carrier " ( arštibara ). Also, it is the representation of the lance carrier in the relief of the famous Behistun inscription (see picture) attributed. Probably he held the command of the Guards Corps ' apple carrier ".

Origin and family

The relief of Gobryas at the grave of Naqsch -e Rostam is described as follows: ". Gobryas of Pâtišuvariš, the spearmen of King Darius " Maybe he belonged to the ethnic group of the Pateischoreiner described by Strabo, that the a sub-tribe of the Persians in close connection to Achaemenid formed.

As the only conspirator Gobryas had been in a close family relationship with Darius I, even before the revolution 522 BC, which certainly explains his motivation to participate in the conspiracy. The first wife of Darius was in fact a daughter from him and the three first sons of the Great King ( Artobazanes, Ariamenes, Ariabignes ) were consequently his grandchildren. After the overthrow Gobryas then married his second wife a sister of Darius, which the Mardonius († 479 BC) gave birth to him. The turn was finally married to a daughter of Darius, Artazostre.

Descendants of Gobryas presented one of the families of the so-called " seven Persians " of the Persian aristocracy, the descendants of the seven conspirators (including the Darius ). Other famous descendants until Mardonius can be attributed to him but not.