Media, in ancient times, the name of the north-western part of Iran or Persia, was bounded by the Caspian Sea and Parthia on the E., and by Assyria and Armenia on the W. It corresponded approximately to the modern Persian provinces of Azerbaijan, Ghilan, and Irak-Ajemi, and the eastern part of Kurdistan. The Medes were an Aryan people like the Persians; their state religion was Zoroastrianism, and the Magi (q.v.) its priests. They were at first a bold and warlike race, very skilful with the bow, and noted horsemen. The Median tribes who seem to have been in part subject to the king of Assyria, began towards 700 B.C. to be cemented together under a chief named Deioces (Dajaukku), who chose as his capital Ecbatana (q.v.), identified with the modern Hamadan. Their power grew stronger under his son Phraortes, who subdued the Persians, but perished in war with the Assyrians. Cyaxares, the son of Phraortes, renewed the war against Assyria, but it was interrupted by an invasion of Media by the Scythians. Having treacherously murdered their chiefs, he expelled their warriors. Then, in alliance with Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, he overthrew the Assyrian empire by capturing Nineveh about 607 B.C. Having annexed the northern provinces of the Assyrian empire, he began a war against Lydia; but the eclipse of 28th May 585, the same which had been foretold by Thales, terrified both parties into peace. Cyaxares was succeeded by his son Astyages. Against him the Persians, under their prince Cyrus, revolted about 550 B.C., and, being joined by a portion of the Median army under a chief named Harpagus, they took Ecbatana and deposed the Median king. From this time the two nations are spoken of as one people. Ecbatana became the summer residence of the Persian kings. After the death of Alexander the Great (324 B.C.), the north-western portion (Atropatene) of Media became a separate kingdom, which existed till the time of Augustus. The other portion, under the name of Great Media, formed a part of the Syrian monarchy. In 147 B.C. Mithridates I. took Great Media from the king of Syria, and annexed it to the Parthian empire. About 36 B.C. it had a king of its own, named Artavasdes, against whom and his ally, Phraates IV. of Parthia, Mark Antony engaged in a disastrous campaign. Under the Sassanian dynasty the whole of Media was united to Persia (q.v.).
See G. Rawlinson, Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World (3 vols. 1879); Duncker, History of Antiquity (6 vols.; Eng. trans. 1877-83); Lenormant, Sur la Monarchie des Mèdes (1871); Oppert, La Peuple et la Langue des Mèdes (1879); A. von Gutschmid, Neue Beiträge zur Geschichte des alten Orients (1876); and the popular Media, Babylon, and Persia, by Miss Ragozin (1889; 'Stories of the Nation' series).