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Ecbatana |
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The name Ecbatana is derived from Old Persian Hâgmatâna, 'gathering place'. According to the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus, it was the capital of ancient Media, and this is confirmed by the Nabonidus Chronicle, which says that when the Persian king Cyrus the Great defeated the Median king Astyages, in 550, he proceeded to loot Ecbatana. Unfortunately, Herodotus' description of the city is confused, and although the account by another Greek author, the historian Polybius of Megalopolis, looks more reliable, it states rather obvious things, like the fact that the royal palace looked magnificent. Only archaeology will help us understand the earliest history of modern Hamadan (satellite photo). | |
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This picture shows part of the hill. It probably contains the terrace walls of Ecbatana, which became one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire. Probably, the terrace walls are therefore comparable to those of Persepolis (pictures) or Dascylium. The Ecbatana walls were probably nine meters high and contained an aqueduct. | |
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The French trench, the first excavation of Ecbatana. The archaeologists found several column bases that are now in the nearby museum, a nice place to visit. (It also contains replicas of the Gandj Nameh inscriptions.) In 1995, Iranian archaeologists have renewed research of the hill. Their job will not be easy. Finding the Median capital will be a giant breakthrough and is certainly possible, but this level is deep and it is hard to date the upper strata. | |
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A case in point is this part of the excavation. Here, archaeologists found living quarters and streets. The houses were as large as 17½ x 17½ meters and may in fact have been barracks. The streets were on a gridiron plan, and it is usually accepted that this is a Greek invention (by Hippodamus of Miletus). Therefore, this part of Ecbatana is believed to date after Media had become part of the Greek world, after the conquests of Alexander the Great. So, this stratum belongs to the Seleucid or Parthian age. This is altogether plausible, but if it can be shown that the gridiron plan has an Assyrian or Babylonian origin (which is possible), this entire level moves back in time. | |
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This shows how difficult (and fascinating!) archaeology can be.
The above-mentioned column bases in the museum. Similar columns were found in the royal palaces of Persepolis and it is possible that these bases belong to one of the rooms of the king's residence in Ecbatana. Again, more research is necessary. |
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Part of a decorated wall from the Achaemenid age. | |
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Remains of the aqueduct. | |
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An inscription on a column base informs us that a king named Artaxerxes (probably Artaxerxes II Mnemon, 404-358) built a terrace with columns in Ecbatana. The inscription was discovered in 2000. | |
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A golden rhyton from Ecbatana, currently in the Archaeological Museum of Tehran. |
(Archaeological Museum; ©!!!) |
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Arrowheads found in Hamadan. | |
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The "lion of Ecbatana". According to local legend, rubbing this statue with oil helps people find a good husband or wife. It has been maintained that this ancient statue belongs to the funeral monument of Hephaestion, the lover of Alexander the Great. However, almost all remains in the neighborhood belong to a Parthian cemetery. | |
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