. History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria . of the Achaemenides : *the conspirators surprised Gaumatain his palace of Sikayauvatish,which was situated in the districtof Nisaya, not far from Ecbatana,and assassinated him on the 10th ofBagay^dish, 521 The exact particulars of this scenewere never known, but popular imagination soon suppliedthe defect, furnishing a full and complete account of all thattook place. In the first place, Phsedime, daughter of Otanes, ^ The passage in the Behistun inscription, in which Darius sets forth hisown genealogy, has received various interp
. History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria . of the Achaemenides : *the conspirators surprised Gaumatain his palace of Sikayauvatish,which was situated in the districtof Nisaya, not far from Ecbatana,and assassinated him on the 10th ofBagay^dish, 521 The exact particulars of this scenewere never known, but popular imagination soon suppliedthe defect, furnishing a full and complete account of all thattook place. In the first place, Phsedime, daughter of Otanes, ^ The passage in the Behistun inscription, in which Darius sets forth hisown genealogy, has received various interpretations. That of Oppert seemsstill the most probable, that the text indicates two parallel branches ofAchsemenides, which flourished side by side until Cambyses died and Dariusascended the throne. Such a genealogy, however, appears to be fictitious,invented solely for the purpose of connecting Darius with the ancient royalline, with which in reality he could claim no kinship, or only a very distantconnection. 2 Drawn by Paucher-Gudin, from M. DAKITJS, SON OF HYSTASPES.^ 160 THE IRANIAN CONQUEST one of the seven, furnished an authentic proof of the fraudwhich had been perpetrated. Her father had opportunelyrecalled the marvellous resemblance between Smerdis andthe Magian, and remembered at the same time that thelatter had been deprived of his ears in punishment for somemisdeed: he therefore sent certain instructions toPhfedim^, who, when she made the discovery, at the perilof her life, that her husband had no ears, communicatedthe information to the disaffected nobles. The con-spirators thereupon resolved to act without delay; butwhen they arrived at the palace, they were greeted with anextraordinary piece of intelligence. The Magi, disquietedby some vague rumours which were being circulated againstthem, had besought Prexaspes to proclaim to the peoplethat the reigning monarch was indeed Smerdis Prexaspes, instead of making the desired declaration,infor
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