Deja Vu

What a Coincidence

Tags:

Darius the Great,

Herodotus,

Persia,

politics,

Vladimir Putin

2011: It’s a rare week when we aren’t shown some unimpeachable evidence of Vladimir Putin’s virility and talent. However, the legitimacy of his recent discovery of some ancient earthenware while diving in the Kerch Strait has been somewhat fractured by the testimony of a once-trusted press secretary. The New York Times explains:

In an interview released late on Tuesday, the press secretary, Dmitri S. Peskov said that the jugs had actually been found by archeologists during an expedition “several weeks or days before.” They were then placed in six feet of water where Mr. Putin, dressed in a wetsuit and trailed by cameramen, could find them.

“Naturally, they either left them there, or they put them there,” Mr. Peskov said. “This is completely normal. It is totally not a pretext for malicious joy and so forth.”

Mr. Peskov went on to say that Mr. Putin’s public relations operation is less extensive than outsiders tend to think. “In general, regarding his ‘legend’ and so forth, Putin doesn’t need press secretaries or image-makers or public relations firms or anyone else,” he said. “In fact, most of the time, he does it himself.”

521 BC: Darius the Great was a Persian king and master administrator who greatly extended the boundaries of the Persian Empire before he met a minor setback at the famous battle of Marathon (the Greeks, understandably, make more of it than the Persians). His reign, however, began as a result of both ability and intrigue. As the Greek version of the story goes, after successfully defending monarchy as the superior form of government—as opposed to democracy or oligarchy—Darius was too shrewd to leave his appointment as king to chance. Herodotus gives the hearsay version of events:

Now Darius had a clever groom, whose name was Oebares. When the council broke up, Darius said to him: “Oebares, we have resolved to do as follows about the kingship: he shall be elected whose horse, after we are all mounted on our horses in the suburb of the city, neighs first at sunrise. Now if you have any cunning, figure out how we and no one else can win this prize.”

“Master,” Oebares answered, “if this is to determine whether you become king or not, be confident for this reason and have an easy mind, for no one else shall be king before you, such are the tricks I have.” “Then,” said Darius, “if you have any trick such as you say, use it and don’t put it off, for tomorrow is the day of decision.”

When Oebares heard that, he did as follows. At nightfall he brought one of the mares which Darius’ horse particularly favored, and tethered her in the suburb of the city; then bringing Darius’ horse, he repeatedly led him near the horse, bumping against the mare, and at last let the horse mount.

At dawn of day the six came on horseback as they had agreed. As they rode out through the suburb and came to the place where the mare had been tethered in the past night, Darius’ horse trotted forward and whinnied; and as he so did there came lightning and thunder out of a clear sky. These signs given to Darius were thought to be foreordained and made his election perfect; his companions leapt from their horses and bowed to him.

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