ECBATANA, more properly written Agbatana, the chief city of Media, and the summer residence of its princes. Its foundation is ascribed by Herodotus to Dejoce, first king of Media, who reigned about 733 B. C.; but as this period of history is involved in much obscurity, we have some reason to doubt the correctness of his statement. The account of Diodorus, ii. 13, proves that it existed at a still earlier period, and belonged to that era in the Median history which preceded the reign of Semiramis. That princess, who is supposed to have lived about 1916 B. C., indulged her love of magnificence by the erection of a royal palace within its walls; and finding the city in great want of water, she constructed a splendid aqueduct, which furnished a plentiful supply of that first necessary of life. Pliny, vi. 14, would have us believe that Seleucus Nicator was the founder; but as this prince lived about 320 B. C. we cannot give credit to this statement, except he means that Seleucus became its second founder, after it had suffered from the calamities of war.
The citadel was remarkable for strength, and constructed in a very peculiar manner. Being situated upon a hill, it was surrounded by seven walls, in such a way that the bulwarks of the one wall rose high above those of the other, whilst each of them was distinguished by its own particular colour. The circumference of the outermost wall was equal to that of the city of Athens, or rather to 240 stadia, according to Diodorus; but this wonderful account ought to be received with some degree of hesitation.
Ecbatana was from the most ancient times the place of the royal residence, and seems in splendour and magnificence to have far exceeded all other cities. It was to it that Cyrus carried the captive Croesus, 546 B. C. when he put an end to the Lydian empire; and in the later years of his life, when the infirmities of age made him more susceptible of the vicissitudes of the seasons, he used to retire for the summer months to its cool and delicious shades. (Xen. Cyrop. viii. 6.) Here Artaxerxes assembled his army to oppose the designs of his brother Cyrus (Diodorus xiv. 22); and when the fate of Persia was decided by the
battle of Arbela, this was the spot chosen by Darius as Ecbatana the rallying point for his fugitive soldiers. (xvii. 64.) But no sooner did Alexander show his determination to attack it, than Darius ingloriously fled, and Ecbatana fell, with all its riches, into the hands of the Macedonian conqueror. (Arrian, 3, 19, 4.) The magnificence of its palace is particularly remarked by Polybius, who tells us that the wood was all of cedar or of cypress; the beams, the ceilings, and the pillars that supported the porticoes, were covered, some with plates of silver, and some with plates of gold. The tiles likewise were all of silver. It was of course plundered by the Macedonians; yet in the time of Antiochus, 209 B. C. he still found there pillars cased with gold, and a large quantity of silver tiles laid together in a heap. Amidst all the changes of empire in the East we find that Ecbatana continued to a very late period one of its principal cities. Vologeses held his court within its walls 64 A. D. (Tacit. Ann. xv. 31.)
The site of this ancient town seems unquestionably to have been near Hamadan in Al Djebal, though some are inclined to place it at Tebriz in Aderbidjon; and a late writer, Mr. Williams, has even attempted to prove it to have been at Isfahan. This opinion he supports with great ability, but it is nothing else than a splendid paradox. The chief authorities adduced to prove its position are the following: It is situated at the foot of Mount Orontes, Polyb. x. 27; twelve stadia distant from it, Diodor. ii. 13; twelve long days' journey from the Caspian Gates, Arrian, iii. 20; 450 miles from Gaza, the capital of Atropatene, Plin. vi. 13; from Susa fifteen days' journey, Diodor. xvii. 110; and twenty from Persepolis, xix. 46.
The country round Hamadan at present abounds in gardens, vineyards, and pasturages; and though it is a gloomy abode during winter, on account of the cold, it is a delightful residence during the summer months. The tomb of Esther is still pointed out, and continues to be visited by Jewish pilgrims (Otter, Voyage en Turquie, vol. i. p. 182); and also the tomb of Avicenna. Abdool Kerim's Travels from India to Mecca, p. 97. See MOUNT ORONTES.