From the Fall of Zardukku to the Rise of Deioces; A Median Democracy

Firouzi, Sorena; Saadat Mehr, Muhammad Amin; Sodaei, Bita

doi:10.22103/jic.2023.3721

From the Fall of Zardukku to the Rise of Deioces; A Median Democracy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ PhD in historical archaeology, University of Mazandaran

² Ph.D. student UMZ

³ Department of Archaeoogy,, Facuty Humanitic, Islamic Azad University of Varamin, Tehran, Iran

10.22103/jic.2023.3721

Abstract

One consequence of urbanization in ancient times was the emergence of complex states. However, the structure of ancient Iranian states has not been examined in detail compared to the Greek and Roman worlds. Most researchers believe that the political structure of ancient Iran was autocratic and hereditary. This theory can be challenged by carefully assessing the contents of documents and comparing them with archaeological data. The following article discusses the state of the governmental structure of the Median period in the 8th century BC. The purpose is to identify the governing structure of the subjects based on written sources, specifically during the time of the Medes. The chronology and their place of precedence and backwardness compared to what was implemented in Athens and Rome will also be examined. The research questions are based on the examination of the data of the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian period sources about the structure of the Median state and the evaluation of the possibility of the existence of democratic structures in some of the Median settlements or at least in two of them before the kingdom period.
This research was conducted using the library method. Based on the study of written sources and analysis of documents, the research shows that in a period of eight years in the history of Media and also in the political structure of a part of the history of the Persians before the rise of the Achaemenid Empire, there were strong elements of the establishment of a democratic governance system.

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