The Median Kingdom in the History of the Ancient East

Medvedskaya Inna N.

The article considers the main stages of the history of the Median kingdom, from the time of its ascent after the successful anti-Assyrian rebellion at the end of 670 BC to 550 BС, when the Median Deioceid dynasty fell and the power was taken over by the Persian Achaemenide dynasty. The data in favor of the existence of the Median kingdom as well as of the MedianPersian kingdom afterwards, presented by the author, speak against the hypothesis of the existence of a “federation”of Median tribes instead of the Median kingdom, and of the Medes' participating in the fall of Assyria just as mercenaries of the Babylonian king.

Keywords: Media, Assyria, Deioceids, Achaemenids, Hamadan plain, Herodotus, Sagbat/ Ecbatana
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