DAIWUS, the name of several Persian kings. Darius I., commonly called Darius Hystaspis, or the eon of Hystaspis, belonged to the royal house of the Achmmenidm, and mounted the throne n.c. 521, after having, with six other conspirators, despatched the usurper Smerdis. It was one day agreed among them, according to Hero dotus (iii. 82, 83), that they should assemble on the following murning before sunrise on horseback, and that he whose horse neighed first to the rising sun should be king : the horse of Darius neighed first, and Darius was saluted king (iii. 84-87). Dariue was in fact the founder of the Persian constitution ; to him is due the consolidation of the Persian empire. Countries which Cyrus and Cambyses had only subdued he first organised into a systematic kingdom. He divided hie vast unpile into twenty satrapies or provinces, and appointed a fixed tribute to be paid, as well as a regular supply to be sent for the provisions of the army and the king's household (iii. 89.96). A system of communication between ditlerent parts of the empire was established by means of couriers stationed at certain distances for the of the royal messages, and he devoted much atteution to public works and to administrative improvements.
Soon alter his accession to the throne, Darius was visited by Syloson, the brother of Polycrates, tyrant of Samos, who reminded him of the cloak with which he had obliged him iu Egypt, when acting as one of the guards of Cambyses. Darius offered him any reward he would name : he asked to be restored to Samos, and put in posseasion of the kingdom of his late brother. Darius seut Otanes with an army to Samoa, and soon succeeded in reducing the island. Mteaedrius, who was iu possession of it at the time, was allowed to quit it (iii. 139.141). Meanwhile the atteution of Darius was called off to another and more important affair. The Babylonians had revolted, and made great preparations for resistance. Darius marched against them with considerable force, and besieged them for a year and eight months, but without success, till the artifice of Zopyrus put him in possession of the city. Zopyrus, one of the officers of Darius, after cutting off his own nose and ears, and lacerating his body in a frightful manner, went over to the enemy, telling them that this was the treatment he got from Darius, and he had therefore come over to them that he might aid iu taking revenge on the tyrant. The Babylonians received him gladly, and not doubting for a moment the truth of his story, gave him an important post of command, and soon entrusted to him the whole city, which he delivered up to Darius. Darius Impaled 3000 of the chief citizens, and destroyed too walls and gates of the city (iii. 150.160). Darius employed the Greek navigator, Scylax of Car) ands, to follow the Indus to the ocean and to survey the country (iv. 44); and tho discoveries which he made were followed
by the subjugation of a portion of the Indians (iv. 44 ; iii. 101). One of the principal events in his reign was his expedition against the licythiaus. He marched against them with a force which is computed at seven or tight hundred thousand men. A bridge of boats was laid across the Bosporus, and the work was executed by Mandrocles, a Sandal], who received a pros( nt from the king as a reward for the ekill which he displayed (iv. 85-87). Darius pursued his march through Thrace, across the Danube, to the Don, but met with very ill-success, and had great difficulty in escaphite eventually. He returned to the Danube, recrossed it, and came back into Asia, leaving Megabazus in Thrace with orders to subdue the Pmones (v. 12-16). Megabazus subdued them and transported them into Aaia, where Darius allotted them a district iu Phrygia.
In 501 B.C. some disturbances arose in the island of Naxos, which ended in the aristocratical party being obliged to quit the country.
They applied to Aristagoras, governor of Miletus, for succour, which he was willing to afford, but was unable to grant without the aid of the Persians. Aristagoras communicated the scheme with splendid promises of success to Artaphernes, the king'a brother and governor of Sardis, who, after procuring the king's consent, entrusted a fleet of two hundred ships to the command of Megabates, and ordered it to sail to Miletus to take on board the forces of Aristagoras. After a four months' siege their funds were consumed, and Aristagoras had contracted a debt with the Persian government which it was wholly out of his power to discharge. An insurrection of the Ionian states, whom he had excited to revolt, speedily followed, and ended in the fall of Miletus, B.C. 994.
The Athenians had given Aristagoras aid in the revolt, and had thus excited the bitter hostility of Darius, who scut, under the command of Datis and Artaphernes, an army to Attica, where they were opposed and defeated by Miltiades in the plain of Marathon B.O. 490. (Herod. vi. 113-17), The conquered Persians returned to Asia. Darius began to make preparations for another expedition against the Greeks, as well as for reducing the Egyptians, who had rebelled, but be died before the commencement of the war, tee. 485, after a reign of thirty six years (vii. 4 ; Clinton, ' Fast. H.' ii. 313). He appointed his son Xerxes his successor. (Herod. vii. 3.) Before he became king Darius had three sons, two of whom are mentioned (vii. 2-97), Artabazanes and Ariabignes. After his accession he had four sons by Atossa, and several other wives.