Amytis of Media

Daughter or granddaughter of the king Cyaxares, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroDaughter or granddaughter of the king Cyaxares, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II
A.K.A.Amuhia Amuhia of Media
A.K.A.Amuhia Amuhia of Media
PlacesIran
King
Work fieldMilitary Royals
Gender
Female
Birth630BC, Media
Family
Father:Cyaxares
Spouse:Nebuchadnezzar II
The details

Biography

Amuhia or Amytis of Media (c. 630–565 BC) was the daughter or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II.

Life

Amytis was either born to Cyaxares and his wife, or to Cyaxares's son, Astyages, and daughter-in-law, Aryenis. In either case, it is believed she was conceived out of wedlock.

Amytis married Nebuchadnezzar to formalize the alliance between the Babylonian and Median dynasties.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Tradition relates that Amytis' yearning for the forested mountains of the Median Empire led to the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as Nebuchadnezzar attempted to please her by planting the trees and plants of her homeland. Historical evidence, however, does not lend support to this tradition.

Etymology

The Median and Persian female name Amytis, attested only in the Greek form A´mytis, which perhaps may reflect (with vowel metathesis) an Old Persian *Umati- (equivalent to Avestan humaiti), "having good thought".

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 17 Apr 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.