Bardiya and the Gaumata question
Bardiya was Cyrus’s son. The ruler’s identity in 522 and Darius’s account of Gaumata are debated; the inscription requires critical reading.
Reign: 522 BCE
These cultural and symbolic images do not depict Dorehami members or events.
Image and licence
File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief.jpg — Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / crop
File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief02.JPG — Taranis-iuppiter — CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / crop
Object images show the period’s heritage and are not necessarily authenticated portraits of this person.
Context and a reading path
This entry keeps the ruler’s identity in 522 BCE as an open historical question. Darius’ official account says that Gaumata impersonated Bardiya. Reporting Darius’ version is not the same as independently proving every detail.
How to read the evidence
Identify who is making each claim: the royal inscription, an ancient writer or a modern scholar. An attested name is not an explanation of how power was acquired. Label hypotheses as hypotheses rather than settled facts.
A question to discuss
Why might a new ruler want to shape a particular account of the previous ruler?
The answer need not be settled beforehand. First note what the source actually tells us, then separate questions from guesses. Children can draw an object or building from the period; an imagined picture should not be presented as historical evidence.
Sources and further reading
Content reviewed: 19 October 2026
Back to the Achaemenids
Cyrus II: Cyrus the Great
About 559–530 BCE
Cambyses II
530–522 BCE
Darius I: Darius the Great
522–486 BCE
Xerxes I
486–465 BCE
Artaxerxes I
465/464–424/423 BCE
Xerxes II
424/423 BCE
Sogdianus
424/423 BCE
Darius II
about 423–404 BCE
Artaxerxes II
about 404–359/358 BCE
Artaxerxes III
359/358–338/337 BCE
Arses: Artaxerxes IV
338–336 BCE
Darius III
336–330 BCE
Bessus: a claimant after Darius III
330–329 BCE