CassandaneorCassandana (died 538 BC) was an Achaemenian queen and the wife of king Cyrus the Great.[1]
| Cassandane | |
|---|---|
An old image of a possible tomb of Cassandane in Pasargad Archaeological Site Suleiman Prison (Pasargad) 1906 image taken from the book Persia past and present by AV Williams Jackson (1906)
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| Queen consort of the Achaemenid Empire | |
| Tenure | 559–538 BC |
| Coronation | 559 BC |
| Successor | Atossa |
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| Died | 538 BC |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Cyrus the Great |
| Issue | Cambyses II Bardiya Artystone Atossa Roxane |
| House | Achaemenid |
| Father | Pharnaspes |
She was a daughter of Pharnaspes. She had four children with Cyrus: Cambyses II, who succeeded his father and conquered Egypt; Smerdis (Bardiya), who also reigned as the king of Persia for a short time; a daughter named Atossa, who later wed Darius the Great; and another daughter named Roxana.[1]
Her daughter Atossa later played an important role in the Achaemenid royal family, as she married Darius the Great and bore him the next Achaemenid king, Xerxes I.[2]
When Cassandane died, all the nations of Cyrus' Persian empire observed "a great mourning". This is reported by Herodotus. According to the Nabonidus Chronicle, there was a public mourning after her death in Babylonia lasting for six days. Cassandane reportedly stated that it was more bitter to leave Cyrus's side than to die.[3][4] The six days of mourning are identified as 21–26 March 538 BC.[5] According to a suggestion by M. Boyce, Cassandane's tomb is located at Pasargadae.[1]
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