Atossa

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Atossa (also known as Hattuosa or Hutaosa) was a Queen consort of Persia.

She was born in 550 BC, the daughter of Cyrus the Great and a sister (or half-sister) of Cambyses II. Atossa married Darius I in 522 BC after Darius overthrew a man claiming to be Smerdis. Xerxes I was one of her children with Darius.

Atossa probably died before Xerxes came to power, although Herodotus believed she was still alive during Xerxes' reign. Aeschylus also included her as a central character in his tragedy The Persians.

Very little is known about the real Atossa, although it is speculated that she came from a Zoroastrian family, as Atossa is a figure from Zoroastrian scripture.

[edit] Literary references

Atossa is one of the major characters in the Gore Vidal work, Creation. The book's account of how Darius ascended the throne has been disputed.^{[citation needed]}