BABYLON AND PERSIA

376 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.says about it is this: "I went to Susiana; thatAtrina was brought to me a prisoner ; I slew him."Not so the rising at Babylon ; it needed a real cam¬paign to put it down. The rebel's forces were placedon the Tigris and it cost a battle for the royal armyto effect a passage. Another battle was fought onthe Euphrates near the capital, and, though defeated,the pretender did not surrender, but fled with a fewhorsemen and threw himself into Babylon, where hesustained a regular siege. Dareios records with greatsimplicity that he " by the grace of Ahura-Mazda,took the city and seized on the false Nebuchadrez¬zar," whom he put to death. This expedition occu¬pied several months, and while he was detained inBabylonia, no less than nine countries revoltedagainst him at once, of which he gives the list : Per¬sia, Susiana, Media, Assyria, Armenia, Parthia, Margiana,Sattagydia, and Sakia. (See map.)9. This second rising of Elam was of little import¬ance, and the people themselves put it down, cap¬tured the leader and slew him. Far greater was thedanger in Media, for there a man of the name ofFravartish (Phraortes), a Mede, had declared him¬self to be " Khshatrita, of the race of Kyaxares " andcalled on the country in the name of its most popularnational hero, the founder of its greatness. The ap¬peal was eagerly responded to : even the Mediantroops which had been left at home, went over tothe pretender, who was proclaimed king of Media.The rising in Sagartia was headed by a man whoalso gave himself out as a descendant of Kyaxaresand set up an independent kingdom. But by far th^