Artabazus

Artabazus was the name of a satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia (now northwest Turkey), under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia.

Artabazus, son of Pharnaces, was one of the generals in Xerxes' invasion of Greece, in charge of the reserve forces guarding the route back to Asia, and responsible for suppressing a revolt in Potidaea. [Herodotus 8,126-129 [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+8.126.1] ] The invasion ended with Mardonius, ignoring advice from Artabazus and others, meeting the Greeks in pitched battle at Plataea and being defeated (479 BC). The Greeks followed up their victory by sailing to Ionia, where they destroyed the garrisoning forces under Tigranes at Mycale in the same year. Artabazus, however, managed to lead the remnant portion of a greatly reduced Persian army out of Greece and back to Ionia. [Herodotus 9,89 [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+9.89.1] ]

As a reward, Artabazus was made satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. This office was passed down to his descendants. He was either succeeded by his son Pharnabazus, who is mostly unknown, or by his grandson Pharnaces, who is known to have been satrap at the outset of the Peloponnesian War. Pharnaces was in turn succeeded by his son, another Pharnabazus, who is well known from his rivalry with Tissaphernes and wars against the Spartans.

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