ECBATANA (Old Persian Hangmatdna), situated at the foot of Mount Orontes (Alwand), was the capital of Media and the summer residence of the Achaemenian kings, being afterwards also the Parthian capital. According to the Greeks (e.g., Herod otus, i., 96 ff.), it was founded by Deioces the Mede, but it appears to be mentioned in an inscription of Tiglath-Pileser I., who was much earlier. Though surrounded by seven walls and possessing a citadel, that was at the same time a treasure-house, it was captured by Cyrus from Astyages in 55o B.C., and was taken from the last Achaemenian by Alexander in 33o B.C. Amongst the Achaemenian relics found in the city in recent times is a trilingual inscription in which Artaxerxes Mnemon celebrated the building of a palace. The Ecbatana at which, according to Herodotus (iii., 64), Cambyses died, is probably a blunder for Hamath.
See Perrot and Chipiez, History of Art in Persia (Eng. trans., 1892) ; M. Dieulafoy, L'Art antique de la Perse, pt. i. (1884) ; J. de Morgan, Mission scientifique en Perse, ii. (1894) ; W. Geiger and E. Kuhn, Grundriss der Iranischen Philologie, ii. (1896-1904). See also HAMADAN and PERSIA: Ancient History. (R. LEV.)