SMERDIS (Pers. Bardiya; by Ctesias, Pers. 8, called Tany oxarces; by Xenophon, Cyrop. viii. 7. II, who takes the name from Ctesias, Tanaoxares; by Justin i. 9, Mergis; in Aeschylus, Pers. 774, Mardos), a Persian king. Smerdis was the younger son of Cyrus the Great who, according to Ctesias, on his death bed appointed him governor of the eastern provinces. (Cf. Xen. Cyrop. viii. 7, I.) Before Cambyses set out to Egypt, he secretly caused him to be murdered (Darius in the Behistun Inscr. i. 1o), being afraid that he might attempt a rebellion dur ing his absence. His death was not known to the people, and so in the spring of 522 a usurper pretended to be Smerdis and proclaimed himself king on a mountain near the Persian town Pishiyauvada. Owing to the despotic rule of Cambyses and his long absence in Egypt, "the whole people, Persians, Medes and all the other nations," acknowledged the usurper, especially as he granted a remission of taxes for three years (Herod. iii. 68). Cambyses began to march against him, but seeing that his cause was hopeless, killed himself in the spring of 521 (but see fur ther CAMBYSES). The real name of the usurper was, as Darius tells us, Gaumata, a Magian priest from Media; this name has been preserved by Justin i. 9 (from Charon of Lampsacus?), but given to his brother (called by Herodotus Patizeithes), who is said to have been the real promoter of the intrigue; the true name of the usurper is here given as Oropastes; by Ctesias as Sphenda dates.
The history of the false Smerdis is narrated by Herodotus and Ctesias according to official traditions ; Cambyses before his death confessed to the murder of his brother, and in public explained the whole fraud. But, as Darius said, nobody had the courage to oppose the new king, who ruled for seven months over the whole empire. Contracts dating from his reign have been found in Baby lonia, where his name is spelt Barziya. He transferred the seat of government to Media; and here in a castle in the district of Nisaya he was surprised and killed by Darius and his six associ ates in October 521. His death was annually celebrated in Persia by a feast called "the killing of the magian," at which no magian was allowed to show himself (Herod. iii. 79, Ctes. Pers. 15).
In the next year, another pseudo-Smerdis, named Vahyazdata, rose against Darius in eastern Persia and met with great success. But he was finally defeated, taken prisoner and executed (Behistun Inscr. iii. 4o ff. ; perhaps he is identical with the King Maraphis "the Maraphian," name of a Persian tribe, who occurs as successor in the list of Persian kings given by Aeschylus, Pers. 778).
See DARIUS (I.) and PERSIA, Ancient History. (ED. M.)