Person

Otanes

6th century BCE · 6th century BCE

Otanes was a Persian noble who, according to Herodotus, uncovered the false Smerdis and joined the conspiracy of seven that placed Darius I on the throne in 522 BCE; in the famous constitutional debate he argued for rule by the people. Around 517 BCE he led the Persian conquest of Samos to install Syloson as tyrant, and after a treacherous attack by Samian fighters his troops killed many of the islanders.

Mentioned in 1 profile

SamosDecline

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Otanes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otanes
MLA
“Otanes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otanes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Otanes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otanes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Otanes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/otanes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻