Oroetus
6th century BC Persian Satrap of Lydia
title: "Oroetus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["6th-century-bc-iranian-people", "achaemenid-satraps-of-lydia", "officials-of-cyrus-the-great", "officials-of-darius-the-great", "520s-bc-deaths"] description: "6th century BC Persian Satrap of Lydia" topic_path: "geography/iran" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroetus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 6th century BC Persian Satrap of Lydia ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Oroetes.jpg" caption="Oroetus attending the crucifixion of [[Polycrates]] (17th century painting, by [[Salvator Rosa]])."] ::
Oroetus, or Oroetes (Old Iranian: Arvita, Ancient Greek: Ὀροίτης), was a Persian Satrap of Lydia (c. 530-520 BC), during the reigns of Cyrus the Great, Cambyses and Darius the Great, succeeding Harpagus, and being followed by Bagaeus. He is described by Herodotus in the third book of his Histories, where he achieved notoriety for the death of Polycrates, tyrant of Samos:
Oroetus became the first satrap recorded as demonstrating insubordination towards the central power of Persia. When Cambyses (ruled 530-522 BC), who succeeded his father Cyrus, died, the Persian Empire was in chaos prior to Darius the Great (522-486 BC) finally securing control. Oroetus defied Darius' orders to assist him, whereupon the Achaemenid nobleman Bagaeus was sent by Darius to arrange his murder.
Oroetus in Art
File:The crucifixion of Polycrates the tyrant after his capture by the Persians MET DP837539.jpg|The crucifixion of Polycrates the tyrant after his capture by the Persian Oroetus (17th century). File:Oroetus.jpg|Oroetus (detail). File:Salvator Rosa - Polycrates' Crucifixion - 1942.292 - Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|The crucifixion of Polycrates by Oroetus.
Sources
- Jona Lendering. Oroetus
- From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, Pierre Briant, Eisenbrauns: 2002,
References
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