page_title: Bardiya
hierarchical_section_title: Bardiya
caption_attribution_description: English: Gaumata portrait on the Behistun inscription
context_page_description: Bardiya, also known as Smerdis among the Greeks, 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 BC, or was impersonated by a magus called Gaumāta, until he was toppled by Darius the Great.
context_section_description: Bardiya (Old Persian: 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 Bardiya), also known as Smerdis among the Greeks(Ancient Greek: Σμέρδις Smerdis) (possibly died 522 BC), 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 BC, or was impersonated by a magus called Gaumāta (Old Persian: 𐎥𐎢𐎶𐎠𐎫), until he was toppled by Darius the Great.
caption: Portrait of the Achaemenid ruler toppled by Darius, as appearing on the Behistun inscription: he was either the legitimate Bardiya, or, as claimed by Darius, an imposter named Gaumāta.
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