escript by which they were
relieved from attendance on Orcetes, and "thereupon they immediately
laid down their spears." Emboldened by their ready obedience, Bagseus
presented to the secretary a second letter, which contained his
instructions: "The great king commands those Persians who are in Sardes
to kill Orestes." "Whereupon," it is recorded, "they drew their swords
and slew him."*

* The context of Herodotus indicates that the events
narrated took place shortly after the accession of Darius.
Further on Herodotus mentions, as contemporaneous with the
siege of Babylon, events which took place after the death of
Orcetes; it is probable, therefore, that the scene described
by Herodotus occurred in 520 B.C. at the latest.

A revolt in Asia Minor was thus averted, at a time when civil war
continued to rage in the centre of Iran. The situation, however,
continued critical. Darius could not think of abandoning the siege of
Babylon, and of thus both losing the fruits of his victories and seeing
Nebuchadrezzar reappear in Assyria or Susiana. On the other hand, his
army was a small one, and he would incur great risks in detaching any of
his military chiefs for a campaign against the Mede with an insufficient
force. He decided, however, to adopt the latter course, and while he
himself presided over the blockade, he simultaneously despatched two
columns--one to Media, under the command of the Persian Vidarna, one of
the seven; the other to Armenia, under the Armenian Dadarshish. Vidarna,
encountered Khshatrita near Marush, in the mountainous region of the
old Namri, on the 27th of Anamaka, and gave him battle; but though he
claimed the victory, the result was so indecisive that he halted in
Kambadene, at the entrance to the gorges of the Zagros mountains, and
was there obliged to await reinforcements before advancing further.
Dadarshish, on his side, gained three victories over the Armenians--one
near Zuzza on the 8th of Thuravahara, another at Tigra ten days later,
and the third on the 2nd of Thaigarshish, at a place not far from
Uhyama--but he also was compelled to suspend operations and remain
inactive pending the arrival of fresh troops. Half the year was spent in
inaction on either side, for the rebels had not suffered less than their
opponents, and, while endeavouring to reorganise their forces, they
opened negotiations with the provinces of the north-east with the view
of prevailing on the