ARIARAMNES

also spelled Ariyaramna flourished 7th century BC early Achaemenid king of Persia (reigned c. 640c. 615). The son of the previous king, Teispes, Ariaramnes ruled over Persis (modern Fars, in southwestern Iran); his brother Cyrus I was given control of Anshan in Elam, north of the Persian Gulf. A campaign by the Medes, however, broke the power of Ariaramnes, and he and his son Arsames, who succeeded him, became vassals of Media (in modern northwest Iran). Dating to the reign of Ariaramnes is an important gold tablet written in cuneiformthe first historical inscription in Old Persian from Achaemenid times. The tablet not only traces the royal line of Ariaramnes but also provides the first Persian mention of Ahura Mazda, the supreme god.