Cassandane
Cassandane (Ancient Greek: Κασσανδάνης Kassandanēs) was an Achaemenian Persian noblewoman and the "dearly loved" wife of Cyrus the Great. She was a daughter of Pharnaspes. She bore four children for Cyrus: Cambyses II who succeeded his father and conquered Egypt, Smerdis (Bardiya) who also reigned as the king of Persia for a short time, a daughter named Atossa who later wed Darius the Great, and another daughter named Roxana.[1]
Her daughter Atossa later played an important role in the Achaemenid royal family, as she married Darius the Great and bore him the next Achaemenian king, Xerxes I. Atossa had a "great authority" in the Achaemenian royal house and her marriage with Darius I is likely due to her power, influence and the fact that she was a direct descendent of Cyrus.[2] When Cassandane died, all the nations of Cyrus' Persian empire observed "a great mourning". This is reported by Herodotus. According to a report in the chronicle of Nabonidus, there was a public mourning after her death in Babylonia lasting for six days. According to a suggestion by M. Boyce, Cassandane's tomb is located at Pasargadae.[1]
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