Editing Bardiya (section)

==Name and sources==
The prince's name is listed variously in the historical sources. In [[Darius the Great]]'s [[Behistun inscription]], his [[Persian language|Persian]] name is Bardiya or Bardia. [[Herodotus]] calls him Smerdis, which is the prevalent [[Greek language|Greek]] form of his name; the Persian name has been assimilated to the Greek (Asiatic) name ''Smerdis'' or ''Smerdies'', a name which also occurs in the poems of [[Alcaeus of Mytilene|Alcaeus]] and [[Anacreon (poet)|Anacreon]]. Bardiya is called ''Tanyoxarces'' by [[Ctesias]], who also names Gaumāta as ''Sphendadates'';<ref name="Ctesias">Ctesias ''Persica'' 8</ref> he is called ''Tanooxares'' by [[Xenophon]], who takes the name from Ctesias,<ref>Xenophon ''Cyrop. Vin.'' 7.ii</ref> and he is called ''Mergis'' and ''Merdis'' by [[Junianus Justinus|Justin]]<ref>Justin i.9</ref> and ''Merdis'' by [[Aeschylus]].<ref>Aeschylus ''The Persians'' 774</ref>

In English-language histories he has traditionally been called Smerdis, following Herodotus' example, but recent histories tend to call him Bardiya.<ref>Leick, Gwendolyn ''Who's Who in the Ancient Near East''</ref><ref name=Mieroop>[[Marc Van de Mieroop|Van de Mieroop, Marc]] ''A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000–323 B.C.'' 2nd edition (Oxford 2007) pp. 290–291</ref>