Editing Atossa (section)

== Marriage ==
Atossa was first married to her brother, [[Cambyses II]], the son and successor of [[Cyrus the Great]], as his first consort. In Achaemenid Persia, marriages between close family members, such as half-siblings, nieces, and cousins, were not uncommon and were not regarded as incestuous, yet brother-sister and father-daughter marriages were frowned upon. According to [[Herodotus]], Cambyses supposedly married two of his sisters, Atossa and Roxane.<ref name=":0" /> This would have been regarded as illegal. However, Herodotus also states that Cambyses married [[Otanes (son of Sisamnes)|Otanes]]' daughter Phaidyme, whilst his contemporary [[Ctesias]] names Roxane as Cambyses' wife, but she is not referred to as his sister.<ref name=":0" /> Hence it remains problematic to determine the reliability of these accounts.

Accusations against Cambyses for committing incest are used as a way to vilify him: painting him as mad and vain. This is a common historiographical issue faced in many older historical texts on Persia. For example, one of the primary records of his incestuous acts is from an Egyptian text<!-- which is? --> which antagonizes many of his actions, far beyond incest. However, many of the allegations within the text, such as the killing of the [[Apis (deity)|Apis bull]], have been confirmed as false, which means that the report of Cambyses' supposed incestuous acts are also contestable.<ref name=":0" />

Atossa bore no children with Cambyses, and his reign concluded abruptly with his death in the spring or summer of 522 BCE.<ref name=":0">Brosius, Maria (2000). "Women i. In Pre-Islamic Persia". [https://web.archive.org/web/20200313213156/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/women-i Archived copy]. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. London et al. Archived from [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/women-i the original] on 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2019-09-21.</ref>

Following Cambyses’ death, the empire entered a period of political instability. A usurper named [[Gaumata ]], who claimed to be [[Bardiya]] (Cambyses’ younger brother and the son of Cyrus the Great), seized power. Bardiya’s death was not known to the public, which allowed Gaumata, a Magian priest from Media, to proclaim himself king near the Persian town of Paishiyauvada.<ref name="@">{{cite book |title=Herodotus 3.88.2}}</ref> During this tumultuous period, Atossa was passed into Gaumata’s harem. This situation was short-lived however, as [[Darius the Great]] overthrew Gaumata, took possession of the harem and claimed the throne. To legitimize his rule, Darius took wives from the noblest houses of Persia, marrying Cyrus' daughters Atossa and [[Artystone]], as well as [[Parmys]], Atossa’s niece. Atossa was granted the status of Darius’ primary consort and queen.{{sfn|Schmitt|1987|pp=13–14}}

In ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]]'', Herodotus referred to Atossa as a woman who had been a wife of her brother Cambyses and afterwards of the Magus,<ref name="!">{{cite book |title=Herodotus 3.89.3}}</ref> while he described Artystone as a virgin.<ref name="!"/> According to Herodotus, Artystone was Darius’ favourite wife,<ref name="$">{{cite book |title=Herodotus (1921). The Histories. Vol. 2. Translated by Godley, A. D. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 7.69–72. ISBN 978-0674991316. Retrieved 2023-06-15. ...Artystone daughter of Cyrus, whom Darius loved best of his wives; he had an image made of her of hammered gold.}}</ref> yet Atossa wielded considerably more influence in the Achaemenid Court, and it was Atossa’s son [[Xerxes I]] who succeeded Darius’ throne. Darius the Great and Atossa shared a common great-great grandfather [[Teispes]], the King of [[Anshan]], who ruled from 675 to 640 BCE. Teispes was the son of [[Achaemenes]], the eponymous founder of the Achaemenid dynasty. Darius himself was a distant relative with the family of Cryus but not a direct descendant. Darius and Atossa’s union was politically significant, as it connected Darius to the lineage of [[Cyrus the Great]], thereby reinforcing his claim to the throne. Scholars have argued that Darius’ marriage to Atossa was motivated by a desire to legitimize his collateral [[Achaemenid]] line by aligning himself with the family of Cyrus, the empire’s founder.{{sfn|Schmitt|1987|pp=13–14}}

Atossa and Darius had four sons: Xerxes, Hystaspes, Masistes, and Achaemenes.<ref name="~">{{cite book |title=Herodotus 7.7.2}}</ref>  Xerxes, the eldest, succeeded Darius as King of Kings, ruling the Achaemenid Empire from 486 to 465 BCE. Hystaspes commanded the Bactrian and Saka troops in Xerxes’ army, Masistes served as one of Xerxes’ leading generals, and Achaemenes was appointed admiral of the Egyptian fleet.<ref name="`">{{cite book |title=Herodotus 7.3.2, 7.64.2, 7.82, 7.97}}</ref>  According to Herodotus in Histories IX, Atossa’s sons Xerxes and [[Masistes]] shared a deeply troubled and deteriorated relationship as Xerxes fell in love with the wife of Masistes, but eventually brutally ordered her to be mutilated and killed.<ref name=";">{{cite book |title=Herodotus 9. 108-110}}</ref>  This prompted Masistes to start a revolt against Xerxes in 478 BC, which eventually led to his execution along with his followers and three sons.

Atossa remained married to Darius until his death in 486 BCE. Both were buried at [[Naqsh-e Rustam]], the royal necropolis of the Achaemenid kings.