Parsondes and Nanarus: A Greek Perspective on Power Struggles at the Court of the Great King
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/emerita.2025.1377Keywords:
otherness, gender stereotypes, fragmentary greek historiography, persian empireAbstract
This article explores one of the most suggestive preserved stories from Ctesias’ Persika, that of Parsondes of Persia and Nanarus of Babylon, structuring the analysis around the literary motifs that shape the narration. Parsondes, initially presented as a virile and ambitious hero, is perceived as a threat by Nanarus, who captures him through a stratagem. Parsondes is confined to the harem and transformed into a female citharist. After being released by order of the king of Media, he regains his masculine appearance and status and seeks revenge. The examination reveals how the story projects an ambivalent image of Persians and other Eastern peoples, contributing to the construction of the notion of Greek cultural superiority.
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Generalitat Valenciana
Grant numbers CIGE/2023/22
