Darius the Mede

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Darius the Mede

Darius the Mede in the Bible, a king of the Medes who succeeded to the throne of Babylonia after Belshazzar. Otherwise unknown outside biblical tradition, it is likely that this Darius has been confused with Cyrus the Persian, who succeeded Belshazzar and decreed (539 BC) the return of exiled Jews. He is also mentioned by Herodotus and Josephus.

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Darius

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Â© A Dictionary of the Bible 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Darius
1. Darius the Mede is mentioned in Dan. (e.g. 5: 31) as ruling after Belshazzar and before Cyrus, but there is no other evidence for such a monarch.

2. Darius I (522–486 BCE) is the Persian ruler who confirmed the edict permitting the rebuilding of the Temple in 520–515 BCE (Ezra 5 and 6). In classical history of Greece he is famous for his defeat at Marathon in 490 BCE. His palace was at Susa.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Darius." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 8 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Darius." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (December 8, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Darius.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Darius." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved December 08, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Darius.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Iran--a history. Magazine article from: New Internationalist; 3/1/2007
	Persia and the Greeks.(Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West)(Book review) Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 9/22/2006

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	Persia and the Bible. Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 7/1/1994; ; 700+ words ; ...concisely the evidence for the Medes in Assyrian literature...the Book of Daniel and Darius the Mede, as well as the use of...designate both Persians and Medes in the Bible, are then...He also deals well with Darius, his accession and his...
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