Ctesias

(flourished late fifth and early fourth centuries b.c.)

   A Greek physician and historian who wrote extensively about the Achaemenid Persians when they controlled Mesopotamia and most of the rest of the Near East. Ctesias (TEE-see-us, or TEE-shee-us) was born in the Greek city of cnidus in southern Anatolia. Cnidus was known for its medical schools, and as a young man Ctesias avidly studied medicine. At some unknown date he was captured by the Persians and, because of his medical expertise, was asked to become a doctor in the Persian royal court in Persepolis; in fact, he eventually became the personal physician of King Artaxerxes II (reigned 404-358 b.c.).

   The exact period in which Ctesias served the Persians is uncertain and is often disputed by modern scholars. The best guess is between about 414 and 397 b.c. All agree that he was present when Artaxerxes' brother, Cyrus the Younger, attempted to usurp the throne in 401 b.c. and the royal siblings fought each other in the great Battle of cunaxa, not far from Babylon. Cyrus had brought with him some ten thousand Greek mercenaries, and though he was defeated and slain, they survived the battle. It is possible, because of his command of the Greek language, that Ctesias was present during the negotiations between the Persian generals and the Greek leaders following the battle. Cte-sias also tended to Artaxerxes' wounds both during and after the battle.

   What is more certain is that Ctesias eventually returned to his native Cnidus. There he set to work writing several long books describing the histories and customs of some of the Near Eastern peoples he had encountered. Regrettably, these works are now lost, but they were used and frequently quoted from by other ancient writers, including the first-century a.d. Greek biographer Plutarch. In particular, Ctesias's History of the Persians provides valuable information about Persian-controlled Mesopotamia and Iran. Ctesias's importance as a historian in the years following his passing, as well as his attention to detail as a writer, can be seen in the following quote from History ofthe Persians, which Plutarch integrated in paraphrased form into his own biography of Artax-erxes. The passage describes Cyrus's death at the height of the struggle at Cunaxa:

   Cyrus rode up against the king . . . neither exchanging a word with the other. . . . The king cast his spear at his brother, but missed him, though he both hit and killed Satiphernes, a nobleman and Cyrus's faithful friend. Then Cyrus directed his spear against the king, and through his armor pierced his breast, five centimeters deep, so that the king fell from his horse. Those who attended him were put to flight and disorder. The king and others, among whom was Ctesias, made his way to a little hill not far off. . . . [Meanwhile] Cyrus was carried off a great way by the wildness of his horse. . . . He passed through his enemies, crying out, "Clear the way, villains, clear the way!" They did as they were ordered, throwing themselves down at his feet. But his tiara [royal cap] dropped off his head, and a young Persian named Mithridates struckadartintooneofhistemples near his eye. ... So much blood gushed out of the wound that Cyrus, swooning and senseless, fell off his horse. ... [Later] the vein under [his] knee was cut open, [and] Cyrus fell, struck his wounded temple against a stone, and died. (Quoted in Plutarch, Life of Artaxerxes 11, part of Plutarch's Parallel Lives)

   See also: Anabasis; Artaxerxes; Battle of Cunaxa; historical accounts