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Prexaspes

600 BC – 522 BC

Persian minister, counselor to Cambyses II (d. 522 BCE)

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About Prexaspes

Lived 600 BC – 522 BC. Prexaspes was a military leader.

Prexaspes was a prominent Persian during the reign of Cambyses II (530–522 BC), the second King of Kings of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. According to Herodotus, when Cambyses ordered his trusted counselor Prexaspes to kill Bardiya (also known as Smerdis), the King's own brother, Prexaspes loyally carried out his order. Herodotus provides two versions of the murder. After moving from Egypt (where he was stationed) to Susa, Prexaspes either killed Bardiya in a hunting field near Susa, or drowned him in the Erythrean Sea.

After Cambyses' death, Prexaspes denied murdering Bardiya at first, but ultimately, in the words of Brill's New Pauly, "revealed before the assembled Persians the usurpation by the Magi (Patizeithes), called for their overthrow and committed suicide (Hdt. 3,66 ff.; 74 ff.)."

Name The original Iranian form of the Hellenized personal name Prexaspes is not attested in the Indo-Iranian languages, and there is no Old Iranian word that corresponds to the Greek Πρηξ- (/prēk(h)s/). Since the mid-19th century, numerous scholarly endeavors have aimed to link the name documented by Herodotus to Old Iranian languages. A recent linguistic study published in 2024 identifies Prexaspes as the Ionic Greek representation of the Old Iranian Bahuvrihi compound *Para.wakhsh.aspa, which translates to "one who possesses a croup (-high) horse." .

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Important facts

Born
600 BC
Birth century
Died
522 BC
Occupation
Also known as
Pressaspes

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Prexaspes's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Prexaspes?

Persian minister, counselor to Cambyses II (d. 522 BCE)

When was Prexaspes born?

Prexaspes was born in 600 BC.

When did Prexaspes die?

Prexaspes died in 522 BC.

What was Prexaspes's occupation?

Prexaspes was a military leader.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Prexaspes

· Wikidata: Q11827000

· DBpedia: Prexaspes

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Prexaspes. https://biography.guide/prexaspes/

MLA: "Prexaspes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/prexaspes/.

Chicago: "Prexaspes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/prexaspes/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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