OCR GCSE Ancient History: Darius the Great Questions & Answers

Name two sources for the accession of Darius I - ANSWERS- Herodotus's Histories - the Bisitun Inscription When did Darius become king of Persia? - ANSWERS522BCE How many co-conspirators were involved in overthrowing the false Smerdis (according to Herodotus)? - ANSWERS7 How did the conspirators decide which of them should become king? - ANSWERSThey rode their horses out of the city before dawn and the rider of the first horse to neigh after the sun came up was declared king. Herodotus suggests that Darius cheated. Name three ways in which the Bisitun Inscription differs from Herodotus's account of Darius accession to the kingship - ANSWERS- the names of 6 conspirators are the same, but the Bisitun Inscription omits Aspathines - the Inscription claims Cambyses II arranged for his brother to be killed before he headed for Egypt; Herodotus says after - Cambyses's brother is called Bardiya in the Inscription - as, of course, is the imposter - while Herodotus calls him Smerdis What was the real name of the false Smerdis/Bardiya (according to the Bisitun Inscription)? - ANSWERSGaumata What have modern scholars made of the story of Darius's accession to the kingship? - ANSWERSThey've suggested that the whole story was propaganda - pushed via the Bisitun Inscription and copies placed around the empire - to cover the fact that Darius had murdered the true king, Bardiya What was the name of the Babylonian rebel leader who Darius captured and killed in 522BCE? And who did he claim his father was? - ANSWERS- Nidintu-Bel - He claimed his father was Nabonidus Name the second Babylonian rebel leader who emerged in 521BCE, claiming (just as had Nidintu-Bel) to be a son of Nabonidus. - ANSWERSArakha What did Darius do to Nidintu-Bel? - ANSWERSImpaled him along with 49 of his supporters What did Darius do to Phraortes, the Median rebel leader? What is the source for this and what does that tell us? - ANSWERS- Cut off his nose, ears and tongue, then put out one of his eyes - The Bisitun Inscription - Darius's own propaganda. He wanted everyone to know how ruthless he had been in dealing with rebels Why might there have been so many rebellions against Persian rule when Darius took the kingship? 2 reasons - ANSWERS- If he had in fact murdered the true king (Smerdis/Bardiya), then his legitimacy would have been questionable - Herodotus says that Smerdis/Bardiya ended the practice of demanding tribute from conquered regions and Darius would have made himself unpopular by bringing this back Darius saw himself as part of blood-line appointed to rule the greatest empire on Earth by which god? - ANSWERSAhuramazda Who was the supposed founder of the royal blood-line to which Darius saw himself and his predecessor Persian kings belonging? - ANSWERSAchaemenes How did Darius reorganise the the empire? - ANSWERSHe split it into 20 provinces (satrapies), each with a governor (satrap) Name a city constructed under Darius's reign near Parsagadae. What did the Persians know it as? - ANSWERSPersepolis, known to the Persians as Parsa Name two features of the city of Susa as rebuilt under Darius's reign - ANSWERS- The Gate of Darius - The apadana - a columned audience hall By what name do we know the inscription found at Susa? And what does it say? - ANSWERS- The Foundation Charter - It sets out Darius's claim to be king, by the gift of Ahuramazda In Persepolis are two zig-zag stairways leading up to a great 'apadana' (audience hall). What image is carved into the stones along these stairways and what message does it convey? - ANSWERSDepictions of 23 nations bringing tribute to Darius The national representatives are clearly subordinate to the Persian king, but they are not bowing and they are armed. This suggests that they are content with the order of the world. What did the Persians call the Greeks? - ANSWERSYauna What did Darius have built in Egypt? - ANSWERSA canal connecting the River Nile to the Red Sea