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Concept
Ecbatana
Summary
Ecbatana ɛkˈbætənə (𐏃𐎥𐎶𐎫𐎠𐎴 Hagmatāna or Haŋmatāna, literally "the place of gathering" according to Darius I's inscription at Bisotun; Persian: هگمتانه; Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭬𐭲𐭠𐭭; Parthian: 𐭀𐭇𐭌𐭕𐭍 Ahmadān; Akkadian: kura-gam-ta-nu; Elamite: 𒀝𒈠𒁕𒈾 Ag-ma-da-na; אַחְמְתָא Aḥmeta; Ἀγβάτανα or Ἐκβάτανα) was an ancient city, which was first the capital of Media in western Iran, and later was an important city in Persian, Seleucid, and Parthian empires. It is believed that Ecbatana is located in the Zagros Mountains, the east of central Mesopotamia, on Hagmatana Hill (Tappe-ye Hagmatāna), an archaeological mound in modern Hamedan in Zagros mountains.
Ecbatana's strategic location and resources probably made it a popular site even before the 1st millennium B.C.E. According to Herodotus, Ecbatana was chosen as the Medes' capital in 678 BC by Deioces, the first ruler of the Medes. His intention was to build a palace worthy of the dignity of a king. The Neo-Assyrians do not seem to mention Ecbatana, and it is likely they never penetrated east of the Alvand despite two centuries of involvement in Median areas of the central Zagros. Ecbatana was captured by Cyrus II in 550 B.C, and under the Achaemenid Persian kings and transferred its treasury to Anshan. Ecbatana, situated at the foot of Mount Alvand, became a summer royal residence and treasury until 330 BC. As mentioned in several sources, the city was used as a royal archive as evidenced by the fact that Cyrus's order for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple was found in the city. In ancient times, Ecbatana was renowned for its wealth and splendid architecture.
Later, it became the capital of the Parthian kings and was used as a summer residence (whereas Ctesiphon was used as the winter residence), when it became their main mint, producing drachms, tetradrachms, and assorted bronze denominations. The wealth and importance of the city in the Persian Empire are attributed to its location on a crucial crossroads that made it a staging post on the main east–west highway called High-Road.
Official source
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