Hydarnes Wins A Victory At Maru

January, 12, 521 B.C.:
Hydarnes Wins A Victory At Maru

By: Mir M.Hosseini

Dariush the Great became king of the Achaemenid Empire in great turmoil. Nearly all Satrapies revolted. It was strategically crucial to prevent Median rebel Phraortes from contacting Vahyazdata another rebel who controlled Persia.
It was winter and a group of Achaemenid soldiers headed by Hydarnes had already secured mountain passes between Media and the Persian heartland. On Jan, 12 Median army attacked Hydarnes forces in Maru near Mehriz, 30km south of the city of Yazd. While the count of dead and captives on two sides is not very reliable, Hydarnes retreated to Kampanda and controlled the road between Pasargadae and Gabae at a defensive position. Account of this battle has been stated by king Dariush in the Bisotoun Inscription.
General Vaumisa was sent by Dariush to the north to suppress the rebellion in Armenia. He won a victory on Dec, 31, 522 B.C. but he did not continue north probably because of weather conditions and the fact that his primary task was to prevent rebels from joining force with each other.
Later an Armenian commander named Dadarshi advanced into Armenia and defeated the rebels on May, 20 521 near Zuzahya, on 30 May at Tigra and on June 20 at Uyama. Dadarshi put an end to Armenian revolts until Dariush himself visited Armenia.
In the east, Dariush's father Hystaspes warded off an attack by Parthians.

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KEY TERMS:Achaemenid , Achaemenid Empire , Armenia , Armenian , Bisotoun , Dadarshi , Dariush , Dariush the Great , Gabae , Hydarnes , Hystaspes , Kampanda , Maru , Media , Mehr , Mehriz , Parthia , Parthian , Pasargadae , Persia , Persian , Phraortes , Satrap , Satrapies , Tigra , Uyama , Vahyazdata , Vaumisa , Yazd , Zuzahya

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