Historical Studies

Historical Studies

Achaemenids and the Question of the Cadusians Independence

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Tahmoures Mehrabi 1
Mohammad-Taghi Imanpour 2
Pedram Jam 3
1 PhD candidate in ancient Iranian history, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Professor, Ancient History, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of History, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad.Iran
10.30465/hcs.2024.48227.2908
Abstract
Abstract
The Achaemenid Empire with its centralized political and administrative system, included territories from the Indus River in India to the Nile River in Egypt and from Libya to Central Asia. One of these states was the land of the Cadusians in the southwestern region of the Caspian Sea. The southwestern margin of the Caspian Sea had a special role and position in the political developments of the Achaemenid period due to its geopolitical location, as well as having impassable roads and dense forests that acted as natural barriers. Even during the stay of Ctesias in the Achaemenid court, a battle took place between the Achaemenids and the Cadusians, which was not successful for the Achaemenids, as some have doubted about their affiliation with the Achaemenids.In this research, based on ancient sources and using the method of historical research and relying on the geographical location and martial skills of the Caduceus, an attempt has been made to deal with the issue of independence or dependence of the Caduceus to the Achaemenid kingdom.
Keywords: Independence, Talesh, Cadosians, Hircania, Achaemenid.
 
 
Introduction
The Cadusians, a well-known tribe of the Achaemenid period, lived in a mountainous region southwest of the Caspian Sea, in the area of modern-day Talesh. Despite recent archaeological research and excavations in Talesh and the ancient land of Cadusiya, the history of this land remains shrouded in obscurity, and not even the name of this land appears in reliefs and inscriptions from the Achaemenid period. On the other hand, one of the main sources for the Cadusians is the writings of Greek historians, although none of those historians ever traveled to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea and had any close contact with the Cadusians. For this reason, these historians have mixed the tribes and inhabitants of the southern Caspian Sea coast, including the Amards, Derbeks, and Tepuris, and in some cases, even without considering the geographical boundaries of the tribes mentioned, have considered the entire southern Caspian coast to be under the control of the Cadusians during the Achaemenid period (Strabo, 1961: 249-252). This research, with a critical look at ancient historical texts, and relying on archaeological evidence, linguistic data, and new research, examines the political position of the Cadusians and the issue of their political independence or lack of independence during the Achaemenid period, using the method of historical research and a descriptive-analytical method.
 
Materials & Methods
This research, with a critical look at ancient historical texts, and relying on archaeological evidence, linguistic data, and new research, examines the political position of the Kadus and the issue of their political independence or lack of independence during the Achaemenid period, using historical research methods and a descriptive-analytical method.
 
Discussion and Results
The Cadus were one of the tribes that lived on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, alongside tribes such as the Amardas, Tepuris, and Derbeks. The existence of archaeological remains and signs from the era in this land indicates the arrival of new tribes to this land and a mixture of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in this land. With the arrival of the Aryans in Iran and the establishment of the Median government by them, the Cadus initially resisted the Median government and did not accept their official citizenship. However, with the establishment of the Achaemenid government by Cyrus the Great, the Cadus accepted their citizenship without a war and with their own will and consent. During the reign of Darius and Xerxes, the Cadus were still subordinate to the Achaemenids and even participated in Xerxes' battles with Greece with their cavalry and fought with the Greeks. However, from the time of Darius II to Artaxerxes III, these restless tribes rebelled and, given the geographical and geopolitical situation of the region, Also, relying on their fighting power, they defeated Ardashir II and his forces in this region. So much so that the Achaemenid king was forced to make peace with them. Previously, they accepted Ardashir's citizenship, but during the time of Ardashir III, they rebelled again. When their commander was killed by Darius III (when he had not yet attained the throne), they once again submitted to the Achaemenid Empire and during the time of Darius III, they accompanied him in his battles with Alexander.
 
Conclusion
It seems that whenever the central power enjoyed cohesion and unity, the Cadusians also accepted their subordination. However, as soon as the court was in turmoil due to the death of the emperor or defeat in war, the Cadusians would periodically rebel and cause problems for the Achaemenids, which would end with the intervention of the Achaemenid emperor and his suppression. This restless people accompanied Cyrus the Great from the very beginning of the formation of the Achaemenid Empire, and even in battles, the Achaemenids were present with the Greeks in the cavalry and infantry and in the army of Darius III, and fought against Alexander until the last moment. Therefore, based on these reports, it seems that the hypothesis of the independence of the Cadusians, which was put forward by Ctesias and repeated by subsequent historians following him, should not have much credibility.
Keywords
Independence
Talesh
Cadosians
Hircania
Achaemenid

Subjects

Abbasi, Ghorbanali (2007), “Archaeological Reports”, in: Collection of Articles of the Ninth Annual Meeting of Iranian Archaeology; Narges Tepeh Dasht Gorgan, vol. 2, Tehran: Archaeological Research Institute Publications.
Arrian (1883), The Anabasis of Alexander, E. J. Chinnock (literally trans. With a Commentary from the Greek of Arrian the Nicomedian), vol. III, London.
Asatrian, G. and H. Borjian (2005), “Talish and the Talishis (The State of Research)”, Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 9, no. 1, 43-72.
Badian, E. (2000), “Darius III”, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 100, 241-267.
Bivar, A. D. H. (2012), “Gorgān”, in: Encyclopedia Iranica, available at:
<http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gorgan-v>.
Briant, P. (2002), From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, Peter T. Daniels (trans.), United States of America.
Brinkman, J. A. (1976), Materials and Studies for History: A Catalogue of cuneiform Sources Pertaining to Specific Monarch of the Kassite Dynasty, The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Cameron, G. G. (1936), History of Early Iran, University of Chicago.
Cleuziou, S. (1986), “Turang Tepe and Burnished Grey Ware: A Question of Frontier”, Oriens Antiquus, vol. 25, 221-256.
Ctesias (2010), Ctesias’ History of Persia: Tales of the Orient, translated with commentaries by Lloyd Lewellyn-Jones and James Robson, Routledge.
Dandamayev, Mohammad A. (1932), Political History of the Achaemenids, Khashayar Bahari (trans.), Tehran: Karang.
Dayson, R. H. Jr. (1973), “The Archaeological Evidence of the Second Millennium BC on the Persian Plateau”, Cambridge Ancient History, vol. 2, no. 1, 686-715.
Deshayes, J. (1969), “New evidence for the Indo-Europeans from Turang Tepe, Iran”, Archaeology, vol. 22, no. 1, 10-17.
Deshayes, J. (1963), “Rapport Préliminaire sur les deux premières Campagnes de Fouille a Tureng Tépé”, Syria, no. 40, 85-99.
Diakonov, Igor Mikhailovich (1937), History of Media, Karim Keshavarz (trans.), Tehran: Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company.
Egami, N., S. Fukai, and S. Masuda (1965), Dailaman 1. The Excavations at Ghalekuti and Lasulkan, 1960, Tokyo: Institute for Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo.
Eilers, W. (1957), “Review: Kassitenstudien, I. Die Sprache der Kassiten”, Archiv fur Orientforschung, vol. 18, 135-138.
Fahimi, Hamid (2002), Iron Age Culture on the Southwestern Shores of the Caspian Sea from an Archaeological Perspective, Tehran: Samira Publications.
Frye, R. N. (1984), The history of Ancient Iran, München: Harvard University, C.H. Beck’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
Ghirshman, R. (1977), L’Iran et la migration des Indo-Aryens et des Iraniens, Leiden.
Girishman, Roman (1967), Iranian Art in the Median and Achaemenid Periods, Issa Behnam (trans.), Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing Company.
Gnoli, G. (1980), Zoroaster’s Time and Homeland: A study on the Origin of Mazdeism and Related Problems, Naples: Instituto Universitario Orientalio.
Haerinck, E. (1988), “The Iron age in Guilan. Proposal for a Chronology”, in: Bronzworking Centers of Western Asia c. 1000 B.C.-539 BC (colloquium at the British Museum 24-26 June 1986), J. Curtis (ed.), London.
Hakemi, A. (1973), “Excavation in Kaluraz, Gillan”, Bulletin of the Asia Institute of Pahlavi University, vol. III, 1-3.
Hakemi, A. (1988), “Kaluraz et la civilisation des Mardes”, Archeologie Vivante, vol. I, 63-65.
Herodotus (1890), The History of Herodotus, G. C. Macaulay (English trans.), M. A. in 2 vols., New York: Cambridge.
Herzfeld, E. (1968), The Persian Empire: Studies in Geography and Ethnography of the Ancient Near East, Wiesbaden.
Imanpour, M. T. and T. Mehrabi (1935), “The Role of the Daylamites in the Collapse of the Sassanid State”, Journal of Iranian Local Histories, Year 4, no. 1, Consecutive 7, 16-26.
Imanpour, M. T. and T. Mehrabi (1936), “Geographical Area and Political Position of Hyrcania in the Achaemenid Period”, Journal of Iranian Local Histories, no. 10, 1-15.
Imanpour, M. T. and T. Mehrabi (1939), “Hyrcania in the Ancient Period”, in: Encyclopedia of Tabaristan and Mazandaran, vol. 2, Tehran: Ney Publishing House.
Imanpour, M. T. (2002-2003), “The Medes and Persian: Were the Persian ever Ruled by the Medes”, Name-ye Iran-e Bastan, the International Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 61-79.
Imanpour, M. T. (2012), The Land of Parsa: The First Persian Homeland (The Persian Empire Birthplace History), Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing.
Isidore of Charax (1914), Parthian Stations of Isidore of Charax: the Greek text, with a translation and commentary by Wilfred H. Schoff, Philadelphia: The Commercial Museum.
J. B. (1950), Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, Princeton.
Justin (1853), Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus, John Selby Watson (ed.), London: Henry G. Bohn.
Kent, R. G. (1953), Old Persian, Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, New Haven, Connecticut: American Oriental Society.
Kohl, P. L. (1995), “Central Asia and the Caucasus in the Bronze Age”, in: Civilization of the Ancient Near East II, M. Sasson (ed.), New York.
Kroll, S. (1984), “Archäologische Fundplätze in Iranisch-Ost-Azarbaidjan”, AMI, vol. 17, 13-133.
Ksenfoon (1989), Biography of Cyrus the Great, Vahid Mazandarani (trans.), Tehran: Donyayeh Book Publishing.
Luckenbill, D. D. (1973), Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. II, 2nd Reprinting, New York: Careenwood Publication.
Olmstead, A. T. (1938), “Darius and His Behistun Inscription”, The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, vol. 55, no. 4, 392-416.
Parpola, A. (1988), “The coming of the Aryans to Iran and India and the cultural and ethnic identity of the Dāsas”, Studia Orientalia, vol. 64, 195-320.
Piller, Ch. K. (2013), “The Cadusii in Archaeology? Remarks on the Achaemenid Period (Iron Age IV) in Gillan and Talesh”, Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 17, 115-151.
Plutarch (2007), Plutarch’s Lives, Bernadotte Perrin (trans.), in Eleven vols. vol. XI, London.
Potts, D. T. (1994), Mesopotamia and East, Cambridge University Press Pritchard.
Scalone, Enrico (1935), Archaeology of Ancient Iranian Societies (in the Third Millennium BC), Seyyed Mansour Seyyed Sajjadi (trans.), Tehran: Samt Publications.
Schmitt, R. (2019), “Cadusii”, in: Encyclopedia Iranica, vol. IV.
Siculus, Diodorus (1989), The Library of History of Diodorus of Sicily, C. H. Oldfather (English trans.), vol. 2, London: Cambridge. Massachusetts, Harvard University Press.
Siculus, Diodorus (2014), The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian in Forty Books, vol. 2, Giles Lauren (ed.), Sophron.
Skjærvø, P. O. (2007), “The Videvdad: its Ritual-Mythical Significance,” The Age of the Parthians, Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis and Sarah Stewart (eds.), London: IB Tauris.
Strabo (1961), The Geography of Strabo, in eight vols, vol. II, Horace Leonard Jones and Willian Heinemann (trans.), London: Cambridge Massachusetts, Harvard University Press.
Syme, R. (1988), “The Cadusii in history and in fiction”, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 108, 137-150.
Weissbach, H. (1921), “He Kissia: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft”, vol. XI,1, Cols. 519-521.
Winn, M. M. (1974), “Thoughts on the question of Indo- European Movements into Anatolia and Iran”, The Journal of the Indo European, vol. 2.
Xeno‏phon, (1914), Cyropaedia, vol. II, New York: The Macmillan.
Yampolsky, Z.A. (1954), “On the problem of the homonymy of the ancient inhabitants of Atropaten and Albania”, in: Azerbaijan: Articles of the Institute of History and Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan, vol. 4.
Yazdan Panah Lemuki, Tayar (1387), History of Ancient Mazandaran, Tehran: Cheshme.
Young, T.C. Jr. (1967), “The Iranian migration into the Zagros”, Iran, vol. 5, 11-34.
Zadok, R. (2002), The Ethno-Linguistic Character of Northwestern Iran and Kurdistan in the Neo Assyrian Period, Jerusalem.
Historical Studies
Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 31
Spring and Summer 2025-2026
April 2025
Pages 259-286

  • Receive Date 06 February 2024
  • Revise Date 28 April 2024
  • Accept Date 15 September 2024