Atossa

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Atossa (also known as Hattuosa or Hutaosa) was a Queen consort of Persia.

She was born in 550 BC, the daughter of Cyrus the Great and a sister (or half-sister) of Cambyses II. Atossa married Darius I in 522 BC after Darius overthrew a man claiming to be Smerdis. Xerxes I was one of her children with Darius.

Atossa probably died before Xerxes came to power, although Herodotus believed she was still alive during Xerxes' reign. Aeschylus also included her as a central character in his tragedy The Persians.

Very little is known about the real Atossa, although it is speculated that she came from a Zoroastrian family, as Atossa is a figure from Zoroastrian scripture.

Literary references

Atossa is one of the major characters in the Gore Vidal work, Creation. The book's account of how Darius ascended the throne has been disputed.

References

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Last updated on Sunday July 06, 2008 at 22:20:07 PDT (GMT -0700)
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