The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

To the north of the Persian Empire, around both sides of Caucasus Mountain, various Scythian (Palaeo-Slavian / Staroslavianskje) tribes lived. They were nomadic, i.e. not yet permanently settled in agricultural communities, whereas their neighbors had been settled into sedentary societies since Neolithic times (mainly in Mesopotamia). Thus Scythians, as well as Cimmerians in northeast Turkey, and others too such as Medeans (or even Persians themselves), along with the hunting activities, sacked and abducted of the wealth of their (mainly southern) neighbors, especially after Sumerian times. One of the key players in these events was Darius the Great.

Who Was Darius the Great?

Darius I, more commonly called Darius the Great, was born in 550 BC and died in 486 BC. He was king of Persia from 522 until his death. Today, Darius is most often remembered for his ambitious military campaigns, impressive building projects, and bureaucratic government organization. Little is known about the early life of Darius the Great, but the information we do have mostly comes from an inscription he had created to describe his rise to power. Darius was the son of a satrap (provincial governor) named Hystaspes. Young Darius was a spearman, a rather important political role, for the Persian ruler Cambyses and fought under him in Egypt.

When Cambyses died two major events happened in Darius’ life: first, he became a general and second, he killed the usurper of the throne. To justify his actions, Darius explained that the man who had taken over was named Gaumata and only impersonating Cyrus’ dead son Bardiya (Smerdis). There is debate if Darius the Great invented this story or not. Either way, he managed to take kingship through his ties to the royal Achaemenid house.