Древний Иран накануне империй (IX–VI вв. до н. э.). История Мидийского царства

Summary

The book surveys the history of the Median kingdom, the first Iranian state founded in the first half of the 7th century B.C. which continued to 550 B.C., when the Median throne passed to the Achaemenid dynasty.

Our notion of the Median kingdom depends mainly upon the location of the initial Median territory and the interpretation of the existing written sources reflecting the principal stages of the Median history. These are the two primary aims of the present study.

The reconstruction of the historical geography of North-West Iran in the Neo-Assyrian period suggested in this work demonstrates that the lands visited by the Assyrians occupied a vast area of the Iranian plateau. Some of these countries were situated to the east of 48° E, though it is usually accepted that their location only to the west of this line can be doubtless. Principally important is the identity of the city name Sagbat/Sagbita of the Assyrian texts and the Old Persian Hangmatā(na) (Greek Ecbatana, Pers. Hamadan). Along with the suggested by E.A. Grantovskij identification of the Mount Bikni with the Demavend, the localization of Sagbat allows to define the limits of Media from the Zagros Mountains in the West to the Elburz and the Salt Desert (Dasht-i Kavir) in the East, up to 52–53° E. It allows to reject many historical reconstructions basing upon the proposed by L. Levine location of Media in the Zagros Mountains. Upon the location of Media either in the Zagros Mountains or the Hamadan plain depends our understanding of many features of its history, economy, daily life, culture and art.

At the same time the historical and geographic survey of Media allows to follow the development of the Assyrian military policy in the east in the 9th–7th centuries B.C., to see how it changed in connection with the Urartian expansion to Iranian territories, which resulted in the forming of an anti-Assyrian coalition.

In the present work we distinguish five principal stages of Median history.

1. An anti-Assyrian rebellion in Ancient Iran. The constant threat of an Assyrian invasion to the lands of Ancient Iran brought forth the consolidation of anti-Assyrian powers and caused a rebellion of 672/671 B.C. Unofficial Assyrian sources make us suggest that the coalition of the rebels (Mannaeans, Cimmerians, Medes) was directed by a Median leader Kashtariti. The rebellion was successful. The significance and the results of the rebellion were however underestimated by scholars, accepting that soon after it the Medes were conquered by the Scythians, whose domination, according to Herodotus, lasted for 28 years. At the same time Assyrian sources mention Scythians in Ancient Iran only on the eve of the rebellion. It allows to reject the theory of the presumed Scythian domination over Media.

2. The rise of Media and the beginning of its expansion. The development of the political situation in the region at the end of the 660-s B.C. presumes that after the anti-Assyrian rebellion in Media certain positive processes took place bringing forth the consolidation of the country and the growth of its power due to the conquest of several neighbouring smaller dominions, first of all those along the Zagros part of the Great Khorasan Road. It could radically change the balance of power in the region and make Media ready for new conquests. Already by 660 B.C. Mannaean rulers worried by the growth of Median power betrayed their former ally and formed a new alliance with Assyria. Assyrian texts mention Cimmerians, also the former members of the anti-Assyrian coalition, supporting the Mannaean case in the 660-s. By the end of the 550-s Media remained the only anti-Assyrian power in the region. Only to Media could be applied the archaic term Gutium listed among the allies of the rebel Babylonian king Samas-sum-ukm, who rose against Assyria in 652 B.C. The participation of Media in this rebellion is symptomatic. It is possible to suggest that Media began to look for new allies against Assyria. Though the first attempt turned unsuccessful, in due time Babylonia became the ally of Media in their joint struggle against Assyria.