The territorial gains made by Cambyses in the eastern Mediterranean

Title: The territorial gains made by Cambyses in the eastern Mediterranean
Author: Habaj, Michal
Source document: Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 2015, vol. 20, iss. 1, pp. [33]-46
Extent
[33]-46
  • ISSN
    1803-7402 (print)
    2336-4424 (online)
Type: Article
Language
Summary language
License: Not specified license
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
The Persian king Cambyses is most often mentioned in the context of his successful expedition to Egypt. Both antique sources and modern scholarly research tend to focus on the success of Cambyses in Egypt, which is undoubtedly deserved of attention. As a result however, scholarly interest in Cambyses' other territorial gains is marginal. His successful Egyptian expedition required extensive preparation. For example, one crucial factor was his ability to seize control over the eastern Mediterranean in preparation for the naval part of the campaign. These territorial gains, as well as his control over the sea in the region, inspired Herodotus to refer to Cambyses as 'the master of the sea'. This is an important epithet which Herodotus grants Cambyses, since it seems to suggest that it was Cambyses who expanded the Persian empire to the eastern Mediterranean. Based on the aforementioned reference by Herodotus, the following study provides an analysis of the process of incorporation of these areas into the Persian Empire, insofar as the sources differ on whether these territories were annexed under Cyrus, Cambyses or Darius. In so doing, the analysis attempts to shed more light on the meaning of Herodotus' words, and gives an account of Cambyses' territorial gains in the Mediterranean.
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