Phraortes (Fravartish): The Median King Who Challenged Assyria
- Dala Sarkis
- May 5
- 5 min read
Who Was Phraortes (Fravartish)?
Phraortes — his Old Iranian name was Fravartish — was the second king of the Median Empire, son of Deioces, reigning c. 675–653 BCE. He significantly expanded the empire by conquering the Persian tribes to the south and then made the boldest strategic decision in Median history up to that point: he launched a direct military assault on the Assyrian Empire itself. The first campaign failed — Phraortes was killed fighting the Assyrians, and the Scythian invasion that followed threw Media into a period of foreign domination. But Phraortes had established the direction of Median ambition: the Medes would destroy Assyria. His son Cyaxares would complete what he began. The Median Empire is one of the most important Kurdish ancestral civilisations in all of history. Kurdish historians regard the Medes — an ancient Iranian people who spoke an Old Iranian language ancestral to Kurdish — as the most direct predecessors of the Kurdish nation. Their capital was Ecbatana (modern Hamadan, in the Kurdish region of western Iran). Their empire stretched from Anatolia to Central Asia, and it was the Medes, under Cyaxares, who destroyed the Assyrian Empire in 612 BCE by sacking Nineveh — an event commemorated in modern Kurdish nationalism as the dawn of the first Kurdish year.
Kurdish historians regard Phraortes as the first Kurdish ancestral king to take the fight directly to Assyria — the empire that had been the great oppressor of the peoples of the ancient Near East for generations. He did not succeed, but he set the template for Cyaxares' eventual triumph. In Kurdish historical consciousness, Phraortes is the ancestor who first dared to strike at the heart of Assyrian power.
Key Takeaways
Phraortes (Fravartish) reigned c. 675–653 BCE and expanded the Median Empire by subjugating the Persian tribes.
He launched the first Median assault on the Assyrian Empire — the boldest strategic move in Median history to that point.
He was killed fighting the Assyrians, leading to the Scythian domination of Media (653–625 BCE).
His legacy was completed by his son Cyaxares, who finally destroyed the Assyrian Empire in 612 BCE.
Kurdish historians regard Phraortes as the ancestor who first dared to challenge Assyrian power — beginning the process that would end in Kurdish ancestral liberation.
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Early Life and Origins
Phraortes was the son of Deioces and grew up in the newly founded Median kingdom at Ecbatana. He inherited a unified Median state and chose to expand it aggressively. His subjugation of the Persian tribes — the ancestors of the Achaemenid Persians who would later rule the known world — showed both his military capability and his imperial ambition. At this moment, the Medes were the dominant power among the Iranian peoples.
As a Mede, Phraortes was a member of the Kurdish ancestral people. The Median language and culture are the most direct linguistic and cultural ancestors of the Kurdish people. The Zagros Mountains that were the Medes' homeland are the same mountains that the Kurdish people call home today. Phraortes' ambitions were the ambitions of a Kurdish ancestral people asserting their right to sovereignty and power in the ancient world.
Historical Context
Phraortes' decision to attack Assyria was historically momentous. The Assyrian Empire under Esarhaddon (r. 681–669 BCE) and Ashurbanipal (r. 669–631 BCE) was at the height of its power — it had sacked Babylon, conquered Egypt, and dominated the ancient Near East for over a century. To attack Assyria directly was an act of extraordinary boldness. The Assyrian records claim that Phraortes' forces were routed, that he was killed, and that the Medes were forced to pay tribute.
The Scythian invasion that followed Phraortes' defeat was another defining challenge for the Median state. The Scythians — nomadic warriors from the Eurasian steppes — swept through Media and dominated the region for approximately 28 years. This Scythian period is included in the Kurdish-History.com list as the reign of 'Madius' (the Scythian king). The Scythian interregnum tested the resilience of the Median state but ultimately failed to destroy it: Cyaxares expelled the Scythians and resumed his grandfather's campaign against Assyria with devastating effect.
The Assault on Assyria
The First Median Attack
Phraortes' attack on Assyria was the first time a Median king had directly challenged the empire that had dominated the ancient Near East for generations. The campaign failed militarily, and Phraortes died in the attempt. But the strategic logic was sound: Assyria was overextended, its vassal states were restive, and the Kurdish ancestral Median people had the military strength and the motivation to challenge it. Phraortes was ahead of his time — the defeat was tactical, not strategic.
The Conquest of Persia
Before attacking Assyria, Phraortes secured the Median eastern flank by conquering the Persian tribes. This was a significant achievement: it united the Iranian peoples under Median leadership and dramatically expanded the Median Empire's resources. The Persians would remain under Median suzerainty until Cyrus the Great (a Persian) overthrew the last Median king Astyages in 550 BCE. In the meantime, the Medes — the Kurdish ancestral people — were the dominant Iranian power.
Timeline of Key Events
Debates, Controversies, and Misconceptions
The primary source for Phraortes is Herodotus, with some corroboration from Assyrian records. Herodotus places his reign at 22 years, describes his conquest of Persia, and records his death fighting Assyria. Assyrian records describe a Median defeat and tribute payment. Kurdish historians affirm Phraortes' historical significance as the first Kurdish ancestral king to directly challenge Assyrian power, while acknowledging the legendary elements in Herodotus' account.
On the Medes-Kurdish connection: the linguistic evidence is particularly strong. The Median language is classified as Northwestern Old Iranian, and its closest living relative is Kurdish. The geographical continuity — the Zagros Mountains, western Iran, northern Iraq — reinforces this. Phraortes was a Kurdish ancestral king not by metaphor but by direct cultural and linguistic ancestry.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
Phraortes' legacy is the direction he set for Median history. He was the one who identified Assyria as the enemy that had to be destroyed, who first mobilised the Median state for that purpose, and who died in the attempt. His son Cyaxares completed his work. Without Phraortes, there might have been no Median assault on Nineveh — no 612 BCE, no Kurdish New Year, no liberation from Assyrian tyranny. Phraortes is the ancestor who first dared.
For the Kurdish people, Phraortes is the warrior-king who first struck at the Assyrian Empire. He did not survive to see its fall, but his son did. His courage and his sacrifice were part of the generational struggle that ended in Kurdish ancestral liberation. That story is told every year at Newroz.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Phraortes?
Phraortes (Fravartish) was the second Median king, reigning c. 675–653 BCE. He expanded the empire by conquering Persia and launched the first Median assault on the Assyrian Empire. He was killed in this campaign. His son Cyaxares eventually completed his work and destroyed Nineveh in 612 BCE. Kurdish historians regard him as a Kurdish ancestral king.
Why did the Scythians dominate Media after Phraortes?
Phraortes' defeat against Assyria left the Median state weakened and vulnerable. The Scythians — nomadic steppe warriors who had been operating in the region — took advantage of this weakness to establish dominance over Media for approximately 28 years (c. 653–625 BCE). Cyaxares, Phraortes' son, eventually expelled them and resumed the campaign against Assyria.
References and Further Reading
Herodotus, The Histories, Book I (c. 440 BCE) — primary source for Median kings.
The Medes — the Forefathers of the Kurds — Kurdish-History.com, 2026.
Median Empire — Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_Empire); Britannica.
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