The Amardians , widely referred to as the Amardi (and sometimes Mardi ), were an ancient Iranian tribe living along the mountainous region bordering the Caspian Sea to the north, to whom the Iron Age culture at Marlik is attributed. They are said to be related to, or the same tribe as, the Dahae and Sacae . That is to say, they were Scythian . Herodotus mentions a tribe with a similar name as one of the ten to fifteen Persian tribes in Persis .
10-696: They lived in the valleys in between the Susis and Persis, in what is now southwestern Iran. The southern Mardi are described by Nearchus as one of the four predatory mountain peoples of the southwest, along with the Susians, Uxii , and Elymaeans . Of these four nomadic groups, they were the only tribe linguistically Iranian . The term Mardi comes from the Old Iranian word for "man" ( Old Persian : 𐎶𐎼𐎫𐎡𐎹 martiya ; from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥tós , "mortal"). Richard N. Frye believe that
20-574: A naval task force under Datis and Artaphernes across the Aegean to subjugate the Cyclades , and then to make punitive attacks on Athens and Eretria . Reaching Euboea in mid-summer after a successful campaign in the Aegean, the Persians proceeded to put Eretria under siege. The siege lasted six days before a fifth column of Eretrian nobles betrayed the city to the Persians. The city was plundered, and
30-547: Is now Gilan and Mazanderan , in northern Iran . On his map, he mentions Amardos (and the Amardos river), the name attributed to the region of Sefidrud at the time. Herodotus mentions a tribe with a similar name as one of the ten to fifteen Persian tribes in Persis . They lived in the valleys in between the Susis and Persis, in what in now southwestern Iran. The southern Mardi are described by Nearchus as one of
40-576: The Achaemenid Empire into 20 districts. According to him, Susa and the surrounding area, Cissia, paid 300 talents tribute. Day%27s journey A day's journey in pre-modern literature, including the Bible , ancient geographers and ethnographers such as Herodotus , is a measurement of distance. In the Bible, it is not as precisely defined as other Biblical measurements of distance ;
50-751: The Persians in their manners. Herodotus and other ancient Greek writers sometimes referred to the region around Susa as "Cissia", a variant of the Kassite name. However, it is not clear if Kassites were actually living in that region so late. In ancient times Cissia was subjugated by Tiglath-Pileser III . Once the Ionian Revolt was finally crushed by the Persian victory at the Battle of Lade , Darius began to plan to subjugate Greece. In 490 BC, he sent
60-470: The barbarians, and arrived at Sardica , which is thirteen days for a fast traveller from Constantinople . From Constantinople-Istanbul to Sofia is 550–720 km distance at a pace between 42 and 55 km /day. Based on a comprehensive review of references in Herodotus, Geus concludes that "Herodotus has a very well-defined notion of what distance a traveller can cover under normal circumstances in
70-522: The distance has been estimated from 32 to 40 kilometers (20 to 25 miles). Judges 19 records a party of three people and two mules who traveled from Bethlehem to Gibeah , a distance of about 10 miles, in an afternoon. Porter notes that a mule can travel about 3 miles per hour, covering 24 miles in an eight-hour day. In a translation by J. B. Bury (Priscus, fr. 8 in Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum) We set out with
80-549: The four predatory mountain peoples of the southwest, along with the Susians, Uxii , and Elymaeans . Of these four nomadic groups, they were the only tribe linguistically Iranian . Cissia (area) Cissia ( Ancient Greek : Κισσία , Kissia ) was a very fertile district of Susiana in the Persian Empire , on the Choaspes. According to Herodotus , the inhabitants, Cissii, were a 'wild', free people, resembling
90-726: The name of the city of Amol is rooted in the word Amard , which occurs as Amui in Middle Persian . According to historical literature, Amol was the capital of Tapuria (modern-day Mazanderan ), at least in the period starting from the Sasanian Empire to the Ilkhanate of the Mongol Empire . Strabo mentions the name Mardi several times. He places their location to the south of the Caspian Sea in what
100-567: The population enslaved on Darius's orders. The Eretrian prisoners were eventually taken to Persia and settled as colonists in Cissia, in the village of Ardericca . Darius the Great , contrary to Eretrian expectations, treated them kindly, and gave them a village in the country of Cissia for their habitation, which was but a day's journey from Susa, where Apollonius of Tyana found some of their descendants 600 years afterwards. Herodotus divided
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