ANAX SEUALCES IN THE “PERSIANS” OF AESCHYLUS: A POSSIBLE REFLECTION OF A THRACIAN RULER FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 5TH CENTURY BC
Loading...
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski"
Abstract
This article examines King Seualces, a character mentioned only once in “The Persians” of Aeschylus. He is of the same rank (anax) as the well-known Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes, indicating that he must have participated in the war as an ally of Xerxes and an active ruler. Although the name Seualces does not appear in other sources, its specifi city allows for reasoned observations supporting his Thracian ethno-cultural affi liation. Moreover, such a king could have existed only in the Balkans, specifi cally in Thrace, since the Near Eastern territories up to India were already under Persian control. The available knowledge of Thraco-Persian relations in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC even allows for the suggestion of a connection with the Odrysian kingdom. Behind the fi gure of Seualces, one can recognize a close relative of Teres I or his elder brother. In this context, the death of Seualces at the end of the summer of 480 BC may be used to date the beginning of Teres I’s reign.
Description
Keywords
Ancient literature, Thrace, Odrysian kingdom, Thracian kings, Persian empire