Media Medes

(middle land). Media lay northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iran. Its greatest length was from north to south, and in this direction it extended from the 32d to the 40th parallel, a distance of 550 miles. In width it reached front about long. 45 degrees to 53 degrees; but its average breadth was not more than from 250 to 300 miles. The division of Media commonly recognized by the Greeks and Romans was that into Media Magna and Media Atropatene.

1. Media Atropatene corresponded nearly to the modern Azerbijan , being the tract situated between the Caspian and the mountains which run north from Zagros.
2. Media Magna lay south and east of Atropatene. It contained great part of Kurdistan and Luristan , with all Ardelan and Arak Ajemi . It is indicative of the division that there were two Ecbatanas, respectively the capitals of the two districts. The Medes were a nation of very high antiquity; we find a notice of them in the primitive Babylonian history of Berosus, who says that the Medes conquered Babylon at a very remote period (cir. B.C. 2458), and that eight Median monarchs reigned there consecutively, over a space of 224 years. The deepest obscurity hangs, however, over the whole history of the Medes from the time of their bearing sway in Babylonia, B.C. 2458-2234, to their first appearance in the cuneiform inscriptions among the enemies of Assyria, about B.C. 880. Near the middle of the seventh century B.C. the Median kingdom was consolidated, and became formidable to its neighbors; but previous to this time it was not under the dominion of a single powerful monarch, but was ruled by a vast number of petty chieftains. Cyaxares, the third Median monarch, took Nineveh and conquered Assyria B.C. 625. The limits of the Median empire cannot be definitely fixed. From north to south it was certainly confined between the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates on the one side, the Black and Caspian Seas on the other. From east to west it had, however, a wide expansion, since it reached from the Halys at least as far as the Caspian Gates, and possible farther. It was separated from Babylonia either by the Tigris or more probably by a line running about halfway between that river and the Euphrates. Its greatest length may be reckoned at 1500 miles from northwest to southeast, and its average breadth at 400 or 450 miles. Its area would thus be about 600,000 square miles, or somewhat greater than that of modern Persia. Of all the ancient Oriental monarchies the Median was the shortest in duration. It was overthrown by the Persians under Cyrus, B.C. 558, who captured its king, Astyages. The treatment of the Medes by the victorious Persians was not that of an ordinary conquered nation. Medes were appointed to stations of high honor and importance under Cyrus and his successors. The two nations seem blended into one, and we often find reference to this kingdom as that of the "Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:28; 6:8,12,15) The references to the Medes in the canonical Scriptures are not very numerous, but they are striking. We first hear of certain "cities of the Medes," in which the captive Israelites were placed by "the king of Assyria" on the destruction of Samaria, B.C. 721 (2 Kings 17:6; 18:12) Soon afterward Isaiah prophesies the part which the Medes shall take in the destruction of Babylon, (Isaiah 13:17; 21:2) which is again still more distinctly declared by Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 51:11,28) who sufficiently indicates the independence of Media in his day. ch. (Jeremiah 25:25) Daniel relates the fact of the Medo-Persia conquest, (Daniel 5:25,31) giving an account of the reign of Darius the Mede, who appears to have been made viceroy by Cyrus. (Daniel 6:1-58) In Ezra we have a mention of Achmetha (Ecbatana), "the palace in the province of the Medes," where the decree of Cyrus was found, (Ezra 6:2-5) --a notice which accords with the known facts that the Median capital was the seat of government under Cyrus, but a royal residence only, and not the seat of government, under Darius Hystaspis. Finally, in Esther the high rank of Media under the Persian kings, yet at the same time its subordinate position, is marked by the frequent composition of the two names in phrases of honor, the precedence being in every ease assigned to the Persians.

3370. Medos -- a Mede, Median, an inhabitant of Media
... of Assyria. Word Origin of foreign origin Definition a Mede, Median, an
inhab. of Media NASB Word Usage Medes (1). Mede. Of foreign ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3370.htm - 6k4074. Maday -- a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land
... Madai, Medes, Media. Of foreign derivation; Madai, a country of central Asia --
Madai, Medes, Media. 4073, 4074. Maday. 4075 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4074.htm - 6k

4076. Maday -- descendant of Japheth, also their land
... Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to Maday Definition desc. of Japheth,
also their land NASB Word Usage Medes (4), Media (1). Medes. ...
/hebrew/4076.htm - 6k

Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and his Successors and How their ...
... Now they bury the kings of Media, of Persia, and Parthia in this tower to this day ...
manner: He said that the ram signified the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians ...
/.../the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 concerning nebuchadnezzar and.htm

The visit to Media.
... marks of parade and display, which were generally so much prized among the Medes. ...
There was one pleasure, however, to be found in Media, which in Persia he had ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter iii the visit to.htm

Concerning the Calamity that Befell Antiochus, King of Commagene. ...
... This nation about this time laid a design of falling upon Media, and the ... them; so
they came in great multitudes, and fell upon the Medes unexpectedly, and ...
/.../chapter 7 concerning the calamity.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with
the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta"Media-proper ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Accession of Cyrus to the Throne.
... Defeat and capture of Astyages."Interview with Harpagus."Cyrus King of Media and
Persia."Confinement of Astyages."Acquiescence of the Medes."Death of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter v accession of cyrus.htm

Cyrus.
... The Medes lived in the slopes towards the Tigris, and had learnt to be luxurious ...
when as a little boy he visited his grandfather at Echatana, in Media, he was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xii cyrus.htm

Hebrew Captives; Or, Mordecai and Esther.
... Media, a word some suppose to be derived from Madai, the son of Japheth, was ... Both
seemed to have become one nation; first the Medes gaining the ascendancy, and ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/hebrew captives or mordecai and.htm

Demonstration v. --Of Wars.
... he ruled; the lesser, that of the Medes, and the greater, that of the Persians.
But when Alexander the Greek came, he slew Darius, King of Media and Persia. ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration v of wars.htm

The Conquest of Lydia.
... The Halys being thus passed, Croesus moved on in the direction of Media. ... They were
jealous of the growing power of the Medes and Persians, and had made a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter vii the conquest of.htm

The Restoration.
... BC, and now loomed so large in the eyes of the world, fell, when the combined forces
of the Medes and Babylonians ... (3) The Persian power conquered Media and the ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xvi the restoration.htm

Media

Media Medes

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