ECBAT'ANA tOPers. Hanymatana, written Hagmatuna, probably place of assembly, from ham, Skt. sa/n, together gum, to come; Babyl. Agamatanu, Agamtanu, 1-leb. Aelonetha, Lat. Eebutana, Gk. Ekbatuna, 'A-ygd7ara, ...lybatanu). The ancient capital of Media. It was situated at a distance of 12 stadia (about miles) from Mount Orontes, the modern Elvend. It lay upon a conical hill, crowned by a temple of the sun, and was inclosed by seven concentric walls, the innermost of which was gilded and the next plated with silver; while the rest, in their order outward, were painted orange, blue, scarlet. black, and white. The city is said to have been nearly 30 miles in cir cumference. Its principal buildings were the citadel—a stronghold of enormous dimensions, where also the archives were kept in which Darius found the edict of Cyrus the Great con cerning the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusa lem—and the royal palace. The mild climate and the magnificence of its structure singled out Ecbatana as the favorite summer residence, first of the Median, then of the Persian, and lastly of the Parthian monarchs. After the
battle of Arbela (n.c. 3311, Alexander followed Darius thither and secured immense booty. It was again pillaged by the Selencida•; but such were the riches of this place that Ant iochus the Great still found 4000 talents' worth of silver. equivalent to more than $4.000,000. to carry away. Ecbatana subsequently fell into the hands of the Parthians, and it has since so utterly sunk into decay that its site can no longer be fixed upon with certainty. But nowadays, scholars generally agree that the present Hamadan, with the reputed tombs of Mordecai and Esther (see 'HAMADAN). occupies the site of ancient •cbatann. Excacathals on the site would no doubt yield valuable finds in the way of an tiquities. There was another Eebotana in Per sia. which was given to the Magi, and a third in Syria, at the foot of Carmel. the present Haifa, where Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, died.