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Mardontes

Persian commander in Xerxes' army, killed at Mycale in 479 BCE

Mardontes, son of Bagaeus, was a Persian officer who served in Xerxes' invasion force and, according to Herodotus, died at Mycale in 479. He is known only from Herodotus. His name is close to that of Mardonius, but the two were different men.

In the game: Mardontes has no mechanic of his own. The game names him only in its event articles on the war of 480-479, including the battle of Mycale, and not in any level's scenes or on the map.

A commander in Xerxes' army

Ancient account

Herodotus lists Mardontes, son of Bagaeus, among the commanders in Xerxes' army when it was reviewed on the march. He says Mardontes led the peoples from the islands of the Red Sea, whom he describes among the contingents of the empire.

Herodotus 7.80

Death at Mycale

Ancient account

Herodotus says the Persians were beaten at Mycale in 479 after the Greeks landed and attacked the camp below the mountain. He names Mardontes among the Persian commanders who died there, together with Tigranes. He says that Artayntes and Ithamitres were among those who survived or escaped.

Herodotus 9.102

Not Mardonius

Ancient account

Herodotus tells of Mardonius as a separate man. He was Darius's son-in-law and the general in command in Greece, and he was killed at Plataea in 479. Mardontes died the same summer on the other field, at Mycale. The similar names are easy to confuse.

Herodotus 6.43; Herodotus 9.64

What cannot be established

Ancient account

Only Herodotus mentions Mardontes, and no Persian text names him. His exact rank and the command he held at Mycale are not clear from the narrative. His name and role cannot be checked against any independent source.

Herodotus 7.80; Herodotus 9.102