Near East Kingdoms

Persian Satraps of Mesopotamia (Persian Empire) (Near East)
Incorporating the Satraps of Gutium

Persian & Greek Empires (Indices) Persian & Greek Satrapies Persian Satraps Greek Satraps

Between 550-539 BC, Persia arose on the Iranian plateau as a formidable power. The empire of Babylonia was taken by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC and was added to the Persian empire. Along with that came control of Mesopotamia and Syria, followed by Anatolia, and much more territory in the east. The new masters administered the captured territories as satrapies, governed regions, with the post in (southern) Mesopotamia first going to one of Cyrus' generals. In the fourth century, the invading Greeks maintained the practise, replacing Persians with Greek or local satraps.

Mesopotamia in general was divided at what is known as 'the bottleneck' in the region of modern Baghdad. The southern section was under the authority of Babylon while the north was part of Athura (former Assyria), although the latter was itself initially under Babylon's overall authority. To the east the border was formed by the Tigris opposite Sittacene and Susiana, while to the west the desert of Arabāya functioned as a natural boundary. The Euphrates seperated Mesopotamia from Ebir-nāri and Katpatuka.

At the heart of southern Mesopotamia, Babylonia was not unknown to the Greeks whose records are largely relied upon today. Even during the Achaemenid period many Greeks travelled here, some as traders, some as Persian military allies and some, like Herodotus, on journeys of exploration. There seems not to have been a Greek community in Babylon before the Argead conquest, however. Herodotus appears to have had trouble in finding enough information to properly fill out his Babylonian entry (such as an account of the city's past kings). Babylonian business documents bear this out. People they often call Greeks in fact have Anatolian names. Nomenclature also bears this out, as the Greeks do not know the two great rivers of Mesopotamia by their universal regional names, Purat and Deklath, but from the Medo-Persian corruptions of them - Ufratush and Tigra (the modern Euphrates and Tigris).

Where these are known, the Old Persian names of the satraps are shown first, followed by Greek and other various interpretations. The satraps of Persian Babirush (Babylonia) are poorly attested, especially after the post appears to become less important in the fifth century BC. The region of Gutium covered parts of the central Zagros Mountain range. Nothing is known about the origins of the Gutian people who gave it this name but they briefly conquered Sumer in the 2200s to 2100s BC before being ejected by the king of Uruk. By the Persian period the region was still little-known, but also of little apparent trouble.

Principal author(s): Page created: Page last updated:

(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from Jewish War & Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus, from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The Histories, Herodotus (Penguin, 1996), from the Cyropaedia & Anabasis, Xenophon of Athens, from The Cambridge Ancient History, John Boardman, N G L Hammond, D M Lewis, & M Ostwald (Eds), from Ancient and Modern Assyrians: A Scientific Analysis, George V Yana (Xlibris Corporation, 2008), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Appian's History of Rome: The Syrian Wars at Livius.org, and Diodorus of Sicily at the Library of World History (dead link), and Encyclopaedia Iranica, and the Nabonidus Chronicle, contained within Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, A K Grayson (Translation, 1975 & 2000, and now available via Livius in an improved version).)

539 - 537? BC

Babylonian satrap of Mesopotamia, Ebir-nāri, & Phoenicia.

539 BC

Despite the fall of Babylon itself to the Persians, it is entirely possible that pockets of resistance remain - or at least areas in which Persian overlordship is tacitly acknowledged while local rule is maintained on a semi-independent basis, at least for a time. The Chaldeans who had provided Babylon's last dynasty of kings may be one such case. Although specific details are not recorded, the Book of Daniel seems to retain a memory of this in Belshar-uzur.

Babylon was forever diminished by its roles in two major uprisings in the fifth century BC and by its subsequent demotion in importance - even the arrival of the Greeks did not revive its fortunes (click or tap on image to view full sized)

fl c.539 BC

Son of Nabonidus. The Belshazzar of the Book of Daniel.

539 BC

Belshar-uzur is the son of Nabonidus and may legitimately claim to be the true successor to the throne even though he holds no power and doesn't have the resources to enforce his claim. He is apparently killed by Cyrus the Great even though his father is allowed to live, so he cannot be the otherwise unknown satrap of Babirush for the first couple of years of Persian rule before being replaced by Gaubaruva. Instead, as Cyrus allows existing offices to be retained at first, this post is probably still filled by its Neo-Babylonian incumbent.

539 - 538 BC

Satrap of Gutium. General who helped conquer Babylon. Died.

537? BC

Gaubaruva is appointed as the first Persian satrap of Babirush (Babylonia). He is known by a whole host of interpretations of his name, from the Old Persian Gaubaruva or the Akkadian Gubaru, to the Greek Gobryas, and the Latin Gobar(es). He can also be equated with the Cyaxares of the Cyropaedia, but should not be confused with the General Ugbaru (Old Persian) or Gobryas (Greek) who aids Cyrus the Great in the conquest of Mesopotamia (a mistake made in the Grayson version of the Nabonidus Chronicle). Ugbaru may in fact govern the district or province of Gutium for a short time (land of the Gutians) before dying, having already reached an advanced age.

537? - 522 BC

Persian satrap of Mesopotamia, Babirush, Ebir-nāri, & Phoenicia.

524? - 516 BC

Satrap of Babirush (Mesopotamia), Ebir-nāri, & Phoenicia.

c.484 BC

Although any records to prove it have not survived, it would seem to be in this period, between about 490-482 BC, in which Ebir-nāri is created a satrapy in its own right, removing it from the administration of Babirush (Babylonia). The cause may well be the revolt which arises shortly after a greater revolt in Egypt. In fact tablets from Babylonia seem to show evidence of two risings by claimants to the Babylonian throne. The first uprising is that of Bel-shimanni, which can perhaps be dated to the high summer of 484 BC. This seems only to last a week or two before being put down.

The Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BC saw the end of just one in a number of internal Persian revolts that often involved thousands of troops on either side, although in this case the presence of a large body of Greek mercenaries should have been an indicator of the future threat the Greeks would become

fl 421 - 404? BC

Satrap of Babirush (Mesopotamia).

c.421 / 420 BC

This Gobryas could be the same figure as one of the four commanders-in-chief of the army of Artaxerxes II at the battle of Cunaxa in 401 BC as noted by Xenophon. As satrap of Babirush, Gobryas is named in several documents from the Murašû archive in Nippur which is dated to the years 421/420 BC to 417/416 BC. He probably remains in that office until the accession of Artaxerxes II in 404 BC - a prime time for reorganising officials.

fl 401 - ? BC

Satrap of Babirush (Mesopotamia).

401 BC

Roparas is assigned the position of satrap of Babirush (according to Yana and Cook). Nothing more appears to be said about him, but the seeming coincidence of having two satraps with the same name within seventy years suggests a degree of familial relationship, probably a grandson or great nephew.

fl mid-300s BC

Satrap of Babirush (Mesopotamia). Lost post to Greeks?

331 BC

The region is conquered by the Greek empire under Alexander the Great. At the Battle of Gaugamela, Darius' Persian units in the centre of the formation take heavy casualties, but the commander of one of those divisions, Ariobarzanes, satrap of Persis, is able to leave the battlefield with his king. Darius flees eastwards and the defence of each province is left to its satrap.

The propyleum and cella of the Temple of Bel, which incorporates Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman elements and dates primarily to the first and second centuries AD

Mazaeus, the satrap of Ebir-nāri, initially plays his part by opposing Alexander, but he eventually surrenders and Alexander makes him satrap of Argead Mesopotamia, Alexander seizes Babylon (where Xenophon lists Roparas as satrap) and Susa and, having gathered intelligence on Persis, he soon captures that too. Most administrative posts are retained under the Greek empire, including some of those in Mesopotamia.