General Notes

A superstar's kid, Atossa was the daughter of Persian megamonarchCyrus, who was called "th e Great" even after being killed in battle by awoman, the Scythian warrior queen Tomyris. Like the Egyptians, the Persians thought nothing of brother-sistermarriages and other inte restingly incestuous alliances.  Acover-all-bases kind of gal, Atossa first married her drunk en brotherCambyses II, who became king when Daddy took a dive.  That marital boutwas followe d by a mininuptial with a royal wanna-be who styled himselfthe pseudo-Smerdis.  When heads ro lled again, as they did withdistressing frequency in the Persian succession sweepstakes, Atos samarried her other brother, Darius. Soon after marriage three, the queen got a growth on her breast, whichabscessed and sprea d until she was seriously ill; their on-callphysician, a Greek captive, guaranteed a cure - b ut only if she'd talkher husband into letting him return home.  The doc did the trick, soAtos sa reciprocated by convincing Darius to send a spy mission with thegood doctor as guide. Now with a new lease on life, Atossa as co-regent helped Darius rulefor 35 years.  They bu ilt Susa, the new capital of what was onceBabylonia, and a jazzy palace at Persepolis, on a s ite to die for.  Inroyal politics, Atossa came to have the pivotal vote on who would succeedD arius - and chose her oldest son Xerxes.  She might not have done himany favors: Xerxes (eve n with his reputed 2.6 million troops) went downto mortifyingly major defeat in the Greek-Per sian War of 480-479 B.C.(Uppity Women of Ancient Times, by Vicki Leon, 1995)  OR "HUTAUTHA""HATTUOSA"; b. ca. 545 BC  OR "HUTAUTHA""HATTUOSA"; b. ca. 545 BC