Top 10 Sensational Facts about Cambyses II

Top 10 Sensational Facts about Cambyses II

Cambyses II was the second King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire. He ruled the Persian empire from 530 to 522 B.C the king was the son and the successor of Cyrus the Great who is also well known. The king made immense achievements in his position and thus that makes him a person of interest among history enthusiasts as by studying what he did and his achievements, one can understand more about ancient Persia and the forms of leadership during that era.

Therefore, this article will delve into some sensational facts about the King. The article will be critical in providing the reader with a deeper insight into his life and the way he used to lead his people. Furthermore, the article will provide important information about the Achaemenid empire.

1 The origin of his name

The name Cambyses is an old Persian name that is hotly disputed by scholars about its origin. Some scholars say that the name is of Elamite origin while others state that it is associated with the Kambojas who are Iranian people that inhabited north-western India. Therefore, it is not clear where the name of the king originated from as there are conflicting theories about ut and each side of the scholars claims that they have the origin right.

2 His background

A picture of Cambyses II from historycollection-history collection

Cambyses II was the first son of King Cyrus the Great and Cassandane. This is why he ascended the throne as it is the tradition in many cultures, the eldest son in the family is the one who succeeds the father. Cambyses has a younger brother known as Bardiya and three sisters known as Atossa, Roxanne and Artystone.

One interesting fact about the king is that his paternal grandfather was his namesake. He was known as Cambyses I and he was the king of Persia from 600 to 559 B. C . This shows that the king descended from a line of Persian rulers that established the Achaemenid Empire.

3 He was the governor of the Northern part of Babylonia before he became king

In April 538 BC Cambyses was appointed by his father as governor of northern Babylonia, including his city of Babylon, but the central and southern regions remained directly overseen by Cyrus and his bureaucrats. Before his appointment, Cambyses had on March 27, 538 BC. BC, he participated in the usual New Year ceremonies and received the sceptre at Esagila, a temple dedicated to the god Marduk.

However, his term as governor lasted only nine months. Cyrus dismissed him in December 538 BC. Not sure why, but from his post. After his release, Cambyses continued to live mainly in the Babylonian cities of Babylon and Sippar

4 He carried the title of the King of Babylon at the same time as his father

King Cambyses II-Knowledge News

The Babylonian records reveal that Cyrus and Cambyses both carried the title of King of Babylon, King of the Lands. This shows that King Cyrus the Great had appointed his son as his co-ruler years before he started his campaign against the Massagatae.

Cambyses’s brother Bardiya had been given his realm in Central Asia which was excluded from paying tribute. When his father was going to the expedition against the Massagetae, Cambyses II took part in it but because he was the heir to the throne, he was sent back. His father then shortly fell to the Massagetae and this made him king.

5 His ascension to the throne

The King’s ascension to the throne was fairly smooth. Ruling over a big but young empire, the king preserved his authority over the subjugated lands and also expanded his dominion over Egypt. In doing so, he fulfilled his father’s vision who had plans to unify Babylonia with the lands of trans-Euphrates. King Cyrus the Great had expressed interest in the area and therefore Cambyses II’s quest in conquering the nations was not just on a whim but had been thought of for some time.

6 Conquering Egypt

A drawing of Cambyses II of Persia. Photo sourced from Wikimedia-Wikimedia

By 526 BC Amasis II died and was succeeded by his son Psamtik III, weakening Egypt’s position. Meanwhile, Cambyses was making extensive preparations for his army. The Navy was created with personnel and equipment from Phoenicia and Asia Minor. During his march into Egypt, Cambyses made a treaty with the Arabs who controlled the desert region between Gaza and the Egyptian border.

By this treaty, Cambyses was given enough water for his army to reach the Nile.[9] This also paved the way for expanding Cambyses’ authority over unconquered lands between Egypt and Persia, including Gaza, a major trading area on par with Sardis in Lydia. In 525 BC, he invaded Egypt and won and thus acquiring Egypt as part of the Persian Empire

7 He had the title of descendants of the gods

After conquering Egypt, Cambyses II took on the titles of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt as per the traditions of Egyptian Royal custom. These titles were used previously by pharaohs. He solidified his conquest of Egypt with the propaganda of how he was also of Egyptian descent and claimed to be the son of Princess Nitetis who was the daughter of a pharaoh known as Apries.

8 His rule was full of brutality

Historians claim that Cambyses II rule was filled with brutality, ridiculing of the local gods, looting of temples and defilement of the royal tombs where pharaohs had been buried. It is even said that the king killed the Egyptian scared bull known as Apis. These actions are baffling as one would expect that after conquering Egypt, he would ensure that he maintains peace so that he can have a prosperous empire.

9 His administration consisted of mainly Persians

Cambyses II administration was mainly filled with people of Persian origin and those who occupied the high offices were relatives of the king. This shows that the king had nepotism as the most important offices in the administration were occupied by people who were related to him. This was also the case in his father’s administration.

10 He was considered a despot

According to a historian known as Herodotus, Cambyses II was referred to as a despot by the Persians because of his cruelty and insolence. However, this seems to be part of later Persian and Egyptian propaganda criticizing Cambyses after he became increasingly hostile.