Читать книгу The Herodotus Encyclopedia - Группа авторов - Страница 320

ROBERT ROLLINGER

University of Innsbruck

Daughter of OTANES (3) and wife of XERXES (7.61.2). Herodotus presents Amestris in more detail in two episodes characterized by the Greek topos of a licentious and notoriously cruel Persian queen (Rollinger 2010). Herodotus alleges the existence of a Persian custom of burying people alive, referring to a story he purportedly heard that the aged Amestris buried alive fourteen sons of notable Persians as a gift to the god of the netherworld (7.114.2). Near the end of the Histories he relates in detail (9.109–12) Amestris’ cruel PUNISHMENT of the anonymous wife of Xerxes’ brother MASISTES after Xerxes committed adultery with Masistes’ daughter ARTAŸNTE. Amestris has her blameless relative mutilated, cutting off her breasts, nose, ears, lips, and tongue and throwing them to the DOGS.

Some MANUSCRIPTS exhibit the variant spellings Amastris and Amistris. The name is Iranian, although the exact etymology is debated (Schmitt, IPGL 70–71).

SEE ALSO: End of the Histories; Human Sacrifice; Mutilation; Violence; Women in the Histories