| Phraortes | |
|---|---|
| King of the Medes | |
| Reign | 678 – 625 BCE |
| Predecessor | Deioces |
| Successor | Cyaxares |
| Died | 625 BCE |
| Dynasty | Median dynasty |
| Father | Deioces |
| Religion | Ancient Iranian religion |
Phraortes (Old Persian: 𐎳𐎼𐎺𐎼𐎫𐎡𐏁, romanized: Fravartiš;[1][2] Ancient Greek: Φραόρτης, romanized: Phraórtēs), son of Deioces, was the second king of the Median kingdom.
Like his father Deioces, Phraortes started wars against Assyria, but was defeated and killed by the Assyrian king, probably Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 BCE).
All information about him is from Herodotus. According to him (1.102), Phraortes was the son of Deioces and united all Median tribes into a single state. He also subjugated the Persians and Parthians and other nations of ancient Iran. He ruled for twenty-two years (c. 675 – c. 653 BC), however, some scholars assume that he ruled for fifty-three years, c. 678 – c. 625. Phraortes is commonly identified with Kashtariti, a chieftain in Media, although some scholars consider such an identification doubtful. He was later succeeded by his son Cyaxares.[3]
