# Gaumata

_Third Achaemenid emperor (522–521 BC)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/gaumata
Last updated: 2026-11-09

> Bardiya or Smerdis, also named as Tanyoxarces by Ctesias, was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life. Bardiya either ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BCE, or was impersonated by a magus called Gaumata, whose name is given by Ctesias as Sphendadates, until he was toppled by Darius the Great.

## Quick facts

- **Place of birth:** Pasargadae ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P19))
- **Place of death:** Pasargadae ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Achaemenid Empire ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P27))
- **Occupation:** monarch ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P106))
- **Spouse:** Atossa ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P26))
- **Positions held:** King of Kings ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609#P39))

## Questions

**What positions has Gaumata held?**  
Positions held by Gaumata include: King of Kings.

## Related

- [Darius III](https://diginpl.com/people/darius-iii)
- [Cyrus the Great](https://diginpl.com/people/cyrus-the-great)
- [Darius the Great](https://diginpl.com/people/darius-the-great)
- [Xerxes I](https://diginpl.com/people/xerxes-i)
- [Darius II](https://diginpl.com/people/darius-ii)
- [Artaxerxes III](https://diginpl.com/people/artaxerxes-iii)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Gaumata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardiya) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q557609](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q557609) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Gaumata portrait on the Behistun inscription.jpg by Leen van Dorp (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaumata_portrait_on_the_Behistun_inscription.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Gaumata, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Gaumata portrait on the Behistun inscription.jpg — Leen van Dorp, CC0.

## Cite this page

"Gaumata". DigiNepal. Last updated 9 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/gaumata. Retrieved 9 November 2026.