Mascames, also spelled Maskames ( Old Persian: Maškāma) was a Persian official and military commander, who flourished during the reign of Xerxes I ( r. 486–465). [1] [2] He was the son of Megadostes, and was appointed governor of Doriscus in 480 BC by Xerxes I, succeeding the governor who had been appointed by Darius the Great ( r. 522–486 BC). [3] [4] According to Herodotus, Mascames resisted all Greek attacks following the Second Persian invasion of Greece, and remained thus known as the only remaining Persian governor in Europe. [4] Though the Greeks managed to clear other Persian garrisons in Europe, such as Eion, they were unable to take Doriscus from Mascames, which irked the Athenian military. [2] [5]
As no one managed to dislodge him, Mascames was highly honored by Xerxes I and received annual gifts from him for his bravery. [4] [2] Mascames's descendants (who succeeded him) continued to receive gifts from Xerxes I's successor, Artaxerxes I ( r. 465–424 BC). [6] [1]
According to Raphael Sealey, the Achaemenid ruler probably recalled Mascames with his garrison around 465 BC, and finally abandoned Doriscus. [7] However, Muhammad Dandamayev notes that when Herodotus wrote his Histories in the second half of the fifth century BC, Doriscus was still held by the Persians. [8]
Miroslav Ivanov Vasilev states that Mascames may have died by 465 BC. [a]
Notes
References
- ^ a b Vasilev 2015, pp. 225–226.
- ^ a b c Waters 2014, p. 133.
- ^ Kuhrt 2007, p. 209.
- ^ a b c Vasilev 2015, p. 225.
- ^ Dandamaev 1989, p. 231.
- ^ Kuhrt 2007, p. 290.
- ^ Sealey, Raphael (1976). A History of the Greek City States, 700-338 B. C. University of California Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780520031777.
- ^ Dandamaev 1989, p. 231, "When Herodotus wrote his Historiaea during the second half of the fifth century B.C., Doriscus was still subject to the Persians".
- ^ Vasilev 2015, p. 226.
Sources
- Dandamaev, M. A. (1989). A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire. Brill. ISBN 978-9004091726.
- Kuhrt, Amélie (2007). The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415552790.
- Vasilev, Miroslav Ivanov (2015). The Policy of Darius and Xerxes towards Thrace and Macedonia. Brill. ISBN 978-9004282155.
- Waters, Matt (2014). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1107652729.