Darius the Mede


Darius the Mede,

in the Bible, a king of the Medes who succeeded to the throne of Babylonia after Belshazzar. Otherwise unknown outside biblical tradition, it is likely that this Darius has been confused with Cyrus the Persian, who succeeded Belshazzar and decreed (539 B.C.) the return of exiled Jews. He is also mentioned by Herodotus and Josephus.