Bardiya (Smerdis)

January 3, 2021 Mohammad Rasoulipour

522 BCE

What could be an approximate assumption on what Bardiya, the son of Cyrus the Great could have looked like. Download

This semi-imaginary construction has been based on the assumption that the figure in Behistun, labeled Gaumata, is either Bardiya, or his pretender Gaumata the Magi, who reportedly looked very much like Bardiya with the exception of missing an ear. Either way this could be the closest visual source we have to guess what Bardiya might have looked like.

Ver.1.0 - Last updated: Jul 19th 2022, by Mo. Rasoulipour

Brief Biography

Coming Soon

Name

“The name is derived from proto-Iranian *bardz-“be high.” In the Elamite version of the Behistun (Bīsotūn) inscription he is called Pirtiya, but the Akkadian version and private documents from Babylonia have the Median form Barziya. He is called Smerdis by Herodotus, Mardos by Aeschylus, Mergis by Justin, and Merphis by Hellanicus. On the other hand, Ctesias calls the minor son of Cyrus Tanyoxarces (Old Persian *tanu-wazraka “large bodied”; cf. also Xenophon, Cyropaedia 8.7,11 where he is called Tanaoxares). Both names, Bardiya and Tanyoxarces, imply that the prince was of exceptional physical strength, and it seems probable that Tanyoxarces was a nickname of Bardiya.…”
- Via Encyclopedia Iranica

References

An approximate and possible face of Bardiya based on the Behistun relief, which is a picture attributed to Gaumata The Magi, who, according to the inscription, falsely pretended that he was Bardiya, the son of Cyrus II (the elder).

Examining these two images may help us guess what Bardiya looked like.

Of course, there are different theories about whether this person was Bardiya himself or someone else. But since the goal here is to make a guess as to how he may have looked, it may not make much difference who the person depicted here really is meant to be.

Herodotus says that Guamat was able to introduce himself instead of Bardiya because he had a similar face. There are reports about Guamata's ears that are worth the read. (BOOK III. THE THIRD BOOK OF THE HISTORIES, CALLED THALEIA, page 69). In the image above, you can see that the faces of the two people claiming to be Bardiya (Samardis) are similar to each other. So, can it be concluded that Bardia was similar to these two people (assuming he was not himself one of the two)?

The level of realism in the depictions: It should be noted that the carved faces are probably not completely realistic, and therefore this work is most likely, at best, semi-imaginary. But there are some points that can help us in imagining a face for Bardiya.

Age: If Cyrus the Great died at the age of about 70, and Cambyses, who is said to be around the same age as Bardia, ruled for eight years, can it be said that Bardia was approximately 50 years old when he reigned? (if he had reigned)

Nose: In an interesting way, it is out of the norm of what we consider Achaemenid. It is round and small. By examining other images in this inscription, we can see that it is not necessarily due to the Mesopotamian style. Because several people, and Darius himself, have been depicted with a bigger and longer nose.

Hair: It is not clear whether it is hair or a cloth head wrap. But by looking at other depictions in the same inscription, they may have been shown without headgear in this state of captivity.

Beard: cut straight as if sharpened under the chin. It looks full under the lips and the beard line has gone up near the cheeks, which seem prominent. The mustache has a twist (Same as Darius here, could be stylistic).

Crown: Uncertain as two what type of crown Bardiya would have worn. Could what Darius is shown wearing on his head be what Bardiya, or the pretender were wearing?

Likely Accuracy of the Creative Construction

Wild Guess:
There are simply too many unknowns about this figure to be able to confidently say that this could be a close guess as to what Bardiya might have looked like, but might currently be the best guess based on the available evidence.

See the latest work in progress:

See this Instagram gallery in the original post

Permissions

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You are however not permitted to sell the products or place barriers of access for public view and use.

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