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1. , Pharnaspes
   1. 1. ben Pharnaspes, Otanes
         1. bint Hystaspes von Persien
            1. ben Otanes, Patiramphes
            2. of Persia, Amestris
            3. bint Otanes, Phaidymia
      2. of Persia, Cassandane

Ancestors

Source References

1. Jona Lendering: Livius.org - Otanes
   1. • Source text:

        In March 522, a Magian named Gaumâta seized power in the Achaemenid Empire, claiming to be the brother of the legitimate king Cambyses, Smerdis. Gaumâta could do this, because Smerdis had been killed secretly. Immediately, Cambyses advanced to the usurper, but he died before he reached Persia; the false Smerdis was able to rule for several months. This is known from two sources, the Behistun inscription and the Histories by the Greek researcher Herodotus.

        According to Herodotus, Otanes, the brother of Cassandane (wife of Cyrus, mother of Cambyses and the real Smerdis), was the first to become suspicious of the false Smerdis. From his daughter Phaedymia, who was married to the king, he learned that Smerdis was in reality a Magian. On hearing this news, Otanes invited Aspathines and Gobryas to discuss the situation.note Together, they decided to invite three other conspirators: Hydarnes, Intaphrenes and Megabyzus. They were still making plans, when Darius arrived and sided with them. He convinced the seven to strike immediately and not to wait, as Otanes had proposed. On 29 September 522 BCE, the seven killed the false Smerdis.

        That Otanes was involved in the killing of Gaumâta is confirmed by the Behistun inscription. This inscription also tells us that the name of Otanes' father, which was Thukhra. Herodotus is mistaken when he calls him Pharnaspes,note but is is possible to save him by accepting the hypothesis that Thukra was a nickname ("redhead").

        Herodotus tells us that after the murder, the seven men discussed the future constitution of Persia.note Otanes said that Persia ought to be a democracy; Megabyzus argued for an oligarchy and Darius said that monarchy was the best kind of rule. The other four noblemen sided with him, and Darius became king. Herodotus stresses that this discussion really took place. Probably, he has misunderstood a debate about the future of Persia: was it to be a centralized monarchy (which it became) or was it to be a loosely organized federation (as it had been)?

        When it was decided that Persia was to be a monarchy and Darius was to be its king, Otanes opted out of it and received special rights:

        To this day, the family of Otanes continues to be the only free family in Persia, and submits to the king only so far as the members of it may choose. They are bound, however, to observe the law like anyone else.note
        That is, at least, Herodotus' story. But there may be more than meets the eye: perhaps Otanes was a rival candidate to the Persian throne. There are many elements in Herodotus' story that point into this direction. In the first place, we see that Otanes started the conspiracy and that Darius sided with them later. In the second place, Otanes and Darius argued for opposite ideas on two occasions: should the seven wait or strike immediately and should Persia be a democracy or a monarchy? In the third place, Otanes had a powerful claim to the throne because he was the brother of Cassandane, the queen of king Cyrus the Great, and the father of Phaedymia, the queen of Cambyses and the false Smerdis. (Darius' claim to the throne was based on the fact that he belonged to a younger branch of the family of Cyrus and Cambyses, the Achaemenids.)

        It is likely that Otanes, who, according to Herodotus, decided to stay aloof from Persian politics, prepared the road for Darius to become king. It was necessary: after the assassination of Gaumâta, the Babylonians had revolted and the crisis was acute. Otanes stepped aside and Darius honored him by marrying his daughter Phaedymia, who had already been married to Cambyses and the false Smerdis. When Darius married her, his rule became more legitimate. At the same time, Otanes married a sister of Darius. They probably were the parents of Amestris, who was to marry king Xerxes.

        That the king trusted Otanes, is also suggested by the fact that he ordered his father-in-law, who was probably serving as satrap of Lydia, to conquer the Greek island Samos (c.517 BCE).note This island had been without strong leader since an earlier Lydian satrap, Oroetus, had executed Polycrates of Samos. Its new, pro-Persian ruler, was to be a man named Syloson. Herodotus tells us:

        As for Samos, the Persians took the entire population like fish in a drag-net, and presented Syloson with an empty island. Some years later, however, Otanes contracted some sort of disease of the genital organs and that, in conjunction with a dream he had, induced him to repopulate the place.note
        This is the last piece of information about Otanes. In 513 BCE, a new satrap was appointed in Lydia, Artaphernes. Probably, Otanes had died.

        Otanes had a son Patiramphes, who served as the driver of the chariot of king Xerxes during his campaign to Greece. As we have already seen above, Otanes was probably also the father of Xerxes' first wife, queen Amestris.

      • Citation:

        https://www.livius.org/articles/person/otanes/

2. Wikiwand: Otanes
   1. • Source text:

        Otanes (Greek: "Ὀτάνης") is a name given to several figures that appear in the "Histories" of Herodotus. One or more of these figures may be the same person.

        In the "Histories"

        Otanes, son of Pharnaspes
        "Histories" 3.68.1, 3.68.3, 3.69.6 has an Otanes as the son of the Achaemenid Pharnaspes, as the father of Phaidyme (or Phaedyma), who in turn is a wife of Cambyses II, and later a wife of the Gaumata alias Smerdis. Herodotus gives this Otanes a role in the overthrow of the false Smerdis, and "this" Otanes therefore generally is assumed to be identical to a known co-conspirator of Darius I, mentioned in Darius's own list of his helpers at overthrowing Gaumata (DB IV 83). The Behistun inscription has this Otanes as the son of Thukhra, in which case he could not have been the son of Pharnaspes, and so cannot have been a brother of Cassandane (who is said to have been the daughter of Pharnaspes in Histories 2.1.1, 3.2.2), and thus also could not have been brother-in-law of Cyrus II.

        "Histories" 3.68.2 and 3.70 portrays this Otanes as the first person to suspect the king of not being the son of Cyrus, and that Otanes subsequently took the initiative to overthrow him. Supposedly, Otanes has his suspicions confirmed by his daughter Phaidyme, who — as one of the kings wives — establishes that the false Smerdis has no ears, thus identifying him as the same man whom Cyrus had cut the ears off "for some grave reason" (3.69.6). Otanes then gathered six noblemen and plots to get rid of the false Smerdis. A seventh nobleman, Darius, arrives at the capital Susa shortly thereafter, and was then included in the group. Following the overthrow of the false Smerdis, the seven co-conspirators hold a council to discuss the way forward (3.80–82). Otanes, speaking first, argues for turning the government over to the people, and for the principle of equality before the law (3.80.2, 3.83.1, 6.43.3, "isonomíē"). Megabyzus spoke next, urging that they resort to an oligarchy "of the best men, ... ourselves among them" (3.81.3). The third to express his opinion was Darius, who argues for a monarchy. In a vote, the majority decides in favour of a monarchy. Otanes then renounces any claim to be king, asking only that he and his descendants be given their independence from royal rule (3.83). The others then hold a contest whereby whichever of them got his horse to neigh first after sunrise shall become king. Darius cheats and ascends the throne (3.84-3.87).

        In "Histories" 3.139-3.149, Otanes ("one of the seven," 3.141.1) reappears as commander of Achaemenid troops during their recapture of Samos for Syloson, the brother of Polycrates.

        Otanes, son of Sisamnes
        Main article: Otanes (son of Sisamnes)

        In "Histories" 5 ("Histories" 5.25-5.28), Herodotus speaks of an Otanes - a son of a previously mentioned Sisamnes (3.31) - who served as a judge under Cambyses II and later under Darius I, and who following Darius' expedition against the "Scythians," and who succeeded Megabazus as the governor/supreme commander of the united forces of the peoples of the Aegean (5.26.1), and who subjugated Byzantium and other cities during the Ionian revolt (5.123.1, 5.116.1). This Otanes married one of Darius' daughters (5.116.1).

        Otanes in "Histories 7"
        In "Histories" 7.40.4, an Otanes is named as the father of Xerxes' charioteer Patiramphes.

        In "Histories" 7.61.2, an Otanes - named as father of Amestris, one of Xerxes' wives - commands the forces of the Persis in Xerxes' campaign against Greece. This Otanes is perhaps the same Otanes as the one of "Histories" 3 and/or of 7.62.2 and/or of 7.82.1.

        In "Histories" 7.62.2, an Otanes (perhaps the same Otanes as the one of 7.61.2 and/or of 7.82.1) is father of Anaphes, the commander of the Cissians.

        In "Histories" 7.82.1, an Otanes (perhaps the same Otanes as the one of 7.61.2 and/or of 7.62.2) is father of Smerdomenes, one of the six commanders of infantry.

        Legacy
        As a figurative defender of democracy in Greek literature, the Otanes of "Histories" 3.68-3.87 has been used as a point of reference in a number of subsequent political discussions. Jean-Jacques Rousseau refers to Otanes in his notes to "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality." Otanes also is mentioned in Isaiah Berlin's seminal lecture "Two Concepts of Liberty": "As for Otanes, he wished neither to rule nor to be ruled — the exact opposite of Aristotle's notion of true civic liberty." Otanes has his own conception of freedom.

        Otanes also appears in certain works of fiction and drama. James Baldwin fictionalizes the childhood of Otanes in his short story, "The Boy and The Robbers" from his book, "Fifty Famous People — A book of short stories." In addition, the Dutch TV movie "Volk en vaderliefde" ('People and Fatherly Love', 1976) is about Otanes and the coup.

      • Citation:

        https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Otanes

3. 9W8M-P4P FamilySearch.org