Two notes on Darius III

This article presents new insights into two aspects of the life of Darius III. In the first section, Darius’ presentation as a ‘slave’ in one source tradition is argued to be a delegitimising trope aimed at presenting him as an unworthy king, even though all Persians could be regarded as slaves of the monarch. In the second, Justin's use of cognati to describe those who betrayed Darius is interpreted, in the light of other accounts of Gaugamela's aftermath, as possibly being an allusion not just to blood-relatives but also to the cavalry guard, known as the ‘Kinsmen’ (συγγενεῖς = cognati).