The founder of this ancient city allegedly built a palace on its hilltop encircled by concentric walls of different colors, the last two being silver and gold.
The founder of this ancient city allegedly built a palace on its hilltop encircled by concentric walls of different colors, the last two being silver and gold. It was briefly ruled by the rebel Phraortes, who made it his capital, but he was soon forced to flee, as we're told by the Behistun Inscription. It was the site of death for Hephaestion, the close cohort of Alexander the Great, which allegedly caused a grieving Alexander to raze the temple to Asclepius here, and perhaps he erected its great stone lion statue. Herodotus claims it was founded by Deioces as his capital and given a name meaning "meeting place;" it was later ruled by his successors Cyaxares and Astyages, under whom it was seized by Cyrus the Great. It then became a summer home of the Achaemenid kings of Persia. Corresponding to modern-day Hamadan, FTP, name this capital of the ancient empire of the Medes.
The founder of this ancient city allegedly built a palace on its hilltop encircled by concentric walls of different colors, the last two being silver and gold.
{Ecbatana} or Ekbatana or Hagmatana (or accept Hamadan before it’s