The political role of Barsine, the daughter of Artabazus

Kilyashova K.A.

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: kristina.kilyashova@mail.ru

Received April 22, 2017

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Abstract

The paper discusses the life of Barsine, the daughter of Artabazus. He was a Persian satrap. The purpose of the research is to determine Barsine's political role in the history of the ancient world. Along with the above-mentioned purpose, the task of the paper is to consider the problems of Barsine's origin, her kinship and relationship: with the Persians, Greeks, and Alexander the Great.

To fulfill this purpose, the general scientific (des­cription, analysis, and synthesis) and special historical methods have been used. The paper provides many examples proving that Barsine's family was related to the Persian king, which contributed to their high position in Phrygia. Special attention has been paid to the political context of these relations.

It has been concluded that the Hellenic-Persian roots and all kinds of interactions testify to her perception of the values of the two civilizations on the eve and during the eastern campaign of the king of Macedonia, and the main factor that determined her biography is the significant political role of the family headed by Artabaz, the satrap Phrygia. Initially, marrying the representative of the Persian aristocracy was the priority for the Rhodian brothers, Mentor and Memnon, the Greeks in the Persian service. Subsequently, the rapprochement with Barsine met the interests of Alexander the Great, the direct association with whom turned out to be the reason for the premature death of Artabazus' daughter and her son Heracles. The obtained results are very important for revision of the role of women in the ancient world.

Keywords: antiquity, Greeks, Persians, Barsine, Artabazus, Alexander the Great

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For citation: Kilyashova K.A. The political role of Barsine, the daughter of Artabazus. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2017, vol. 159, no. 6, pp. 1393–1403. (In Russian)

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