Inaros
Encyclopedia
Inaros or Ienheru, also known as Inarus, (fl. ca. 460 BC) was an Egyptian
rebel ruler who was the son of a Libya
n prince named Psamtik, presumably of the old Saite line. In 460 BC, he revolted against the Persians with the help of his Athenian
allies, and defeated the Persian army commanded by satrap
Akheimenes. The Persians retreated to Memphis
, but the Athenians were finally defeated in 454 BC by the Persian army led by Megabyzus
after a two year siege. Inaros was captured and carried away to Susa
where he was reportedly crucified
in 454 BC.
) and the part of the Nile Delta
around Sais
. With help from Amyrtaeus, also from Sais, who took the northern marshes, Inarus drove out the tax-collectors and collected mercenaries, thus starting a revolt in Egypt during the reign of King Artaxerxes I of Persia
after the assassination of king Xerxes I. The Athenian allies from whom he was paid 100 trie
rs, sent troops and an army of more than 200 ships led by Charitimides to aid him in 460 BC. The rebel army had confronted the Persian army of around 400,000 infantry and eighty ships led by the brother of Artaxerxes, the satrap
Achaemenes
. The satrap Achaemenes, together with 100,000 of his 400,000 men was defeated and killed at Pampremis and the Persians retreated to Memphis
. The commanders of the Athenian fleet, Charitimides and Cimon fought a naval battle with the Persians, in which forty Greek ships engaged fifty Persians ships, of which twenty were captured with their crews, and the remaining thirty sunk. To show that their victory was complete, the rebels sent the dead body of satrap Achaemenes to the Persian king.
But the victory was short lived. Charitimides was killed and Inarus was wounded in the thigh by the Persian force and retreated to Byblus, his stronghold and the only Egyptian city that did not submit to Megabyzus. After fighting for a year and a half in the marshes, Inaros, together with the Greeks
, were taken captive away to Susa
after being defeated by Megabyzus.
.
There are two versions of his death. According to the first he was crucified, and according to the other, impaled. A fragment of Ctesias handed down to us by Photius tells us "Inaros was executed on three stakes, fifty of the Greeks, all that she could lay hands on, were decapitated." The Greek word, anestaurothe, used to describe and name the method of his execution in the texts could either mean impalement or crucifixion on a single stake, or crucifixion on a true cross, but there is not enough evidence and information in the historical records, to give a definitive answer.
Thucydides tells us a slightly different story. He records no truces and Professor JM Bigwood argues that Thucydides should be interpreted as saying that Inaros was both captured and executed in the same year, 454 BC.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
rebel ruler who was the son of a Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n prince named Psamtik, presumably of the old Saite line. In 460 BC, he revolted against the Persians with the help of his Athenian
Classical Athens
The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece was a notable polis of Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias...
allies, and defeated the Persian army commanded by satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
Akheimenes. The Persians retreated to Memphis
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
, but the Athenians were finally defeated in 454 BC by the Persian army led by Megabyzus
Megabyzus
Megabyzus was a Persian general, son of Zopyrus, satrap of Babylon. His father was killed when the satrapy rebelled in 482 BC, and Megabyzus led the forces that recaptured the city, after which the statue of the god Marduk was destroyed to prevent future revolts. Megabyzus subsequently took part...
after a two year siege. Inaros was captured and carried away to Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
where he was reportedly crucified
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
in 454 BC.
Revolt and aftermath
He held a kingship over the Libyans from Mareia (above PharosPharos
Pharos may refer to:Lighthouses:* The Pharos of Alexandria, a tower built on the island of Pharos that became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World* The Pharos, either of two Roman lighthouses built at Dubris...
) and the part of the Nile Delta
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
around Sais
SAIS
SAIS can refer to:* Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, part of The Johns Hopkins University.* Sharjah American International School* Southern Association of Independent Schools...
. With help from Amyrtaeus, also from Sais, who took the northern marshes, Inarus drove out the tax-collectors and collected mercenaries, thus starting a revolt in Egypt during the reign of King Artaxerxes I of Persia
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
after the assassination of king Xerxes I. The Athenian allies from whom he was paid 100 trie
Trie
In computer science, a trie, or prefix tree, is an ordered tree data structure that is used to store an associative array where the keys are usually strings. Unlike a binary search tree, no node in the tree stores the key associated with that node; instead, its position in the tree defines the...
rs, sent troops and an army of more than 200 ships led by Charitimides to aid him in 460 BC. The rebel army had confronted the Persian army of around 400,000 infantry and eighty ships led by the brother of Artaxerxes, the satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
Achaemenes
Achaemenes (satrap)
Achaemenes was the satrap of Egypt from 484 BC until his death in 460 BC, and a member of the Achaemenid dynasty.According to Herodotus, he was a son of Persian king Darius I by his wife Atossa, and full brother of Xerxes I...
. The satrap Achaemenes, together with 100,000 of his 400,000 men was defeated and killed at Pampremis and the Persians retreated to Memphis
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
. The commanders of the Athenian fleet, Charitimides and Cimon fought a naval battle with the Persians, in which forty Greek ships engaged fifty Persians ships, of which twenty were captured with their crews, and the remaining thirty sunk. To show that their victory was complete, the rebels sent the dead body of satrap Achaemenes to the Persian king.
But the victory was short lived. Charitimides was killed and Inarus was wounded in the thigh by the Persian force and retreated to Byblus, his stronghold and the only Egyptian city that did not submit to Megabyzus. After fighting for a year and a half in the marshes, Inaros, together with the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, were taken captive away to Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
after being defeated by Megabyzus.
Execution
Megabyzus promised Inaros and his rebel Greeks that they would not be executed once they arrive to Susa. The Queen wanted them punished and killed because they were responsible for the death of her son, satrap Achaemenes and asked for his death. Artaxerxes I kept this promise but after five years of pleading handed Inarus and fifty Greeks to Queen Mother AmestrisAmestris
Amestris or Amastris was the wife of Xerxes I of Persia, mother of king Artaxerxes I of Persia. She was known to have been poorly regarded by ancient Greek historians....
.
There are two versions of his death. According to the first he was crucified, and according to the other, impaled. A fragment of Ctesias handed down to us by Photius tells us "Inaros was executed on three stakes, fifty of the Greeks, all that she could lay hands on, were decapitated." The Greek word, anestaurothe, used to describe and name the method of his execution in the texts could either mean impalement or crucifixion on a single stake, or crucifixion on a true cross, but there is not enough evidence and information in the historical records, to give a definitive answer.
Thucydides tells us a slightly different story. He records no truces and Professor JM Bigwood argues that Thucydides should be interpreted as saying that Inaros was both captured and executed in the same year, 454 BC.