Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/911

* DARITJS. 791 DARK DAY. Atlios. In 490 he renewed liis attempt. His fleet eoniinittetl jjreat ravages in the Cyclades, but liis ainiy was entirely defeated at Marathon by the Athenians, under Miltiades. the tyrant of the Chersonese. In the midst of his prepara- tions for a third expedition. Darius died B.C. 486, and was succeeded by his son Xerxes. His tomb is still to be seen at XaksliiRustam. Darius was an able ruler, and he organized and wisely administered the kingdom which Cyrus had founded. His liberality to the Jews in connection with the rebuilding of tin; Temple at Jerusalem is referred to in the Bible. For the inscriptions of Darius, consult : Eawlinson, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, vol. x. (London, 1847) ; Spie- gel, Altpersische Keilinschriften (Leipzig, 1882) ; Weissbach and Bang, .4 Itpers. Keil. ( Leipzig, 1893): Tolman, Olil Persian Inscriptions (Xew York, 1893) : .Justi, in Orundriss der iranischen Philologie ( Strasslmrg. 1897). See Ach.e- MENE.S : C.MBYSES : CyKUS ; PERSIA. Darics IL. called, before his accession to the throne, Ochus. and after his succession yothtis, the Bastard. He was one of the seven- teen bastard sons of Artaxerxes I., Longimanus. When Sogdianus. another of the bastards, had murdered the rightful King, Xerxes IL, and as- sumed for himself the regal power, Ochus de- clared war against him. slew him, and .secured the diadem for himself (B.C. 424-23). He now called himself Darius. His reign was ignoble. He showed himself to be completely under the control of his eunuchs and his cruel step-sister and spouse, Parysatis. l^icbellions were con- stantly breaking out among his satraps, all of which, however, were crushed except that of Amyrtjeus, Satrap of Egj-pt, who made himself independent in 414. It was during the life of Darius, and chiefly through the craft of Tis- saphernes. Satrap of Asia ilinor. and of his successor. Cyrus the Yoimger, son of the King, that the Persians exercised so great an influence over the affairs of Greece in the last years of the Peloponnesian War. Darius died B.C. 405-04. Darius III., called before his accession f'odoniannus : a monarch noted for his mild disposition, handsome person, and courageous spirit. He was great-grandson of Darius IL, and was raised to the throne through the help of Bagoas. after the murder of Arses (B.C. 336). But in spite of his superior qvialities he could offer no solid opposition to the advance of the Macedonians. At the battle of Issus. in 333, Ids mother, wife, and three children fell into the hands of Alexander: the victory of Gauga- mela, near Arbela (q.v.), in 331, opened to the latter the way to Susa and Persia proper. Da- rius now fled to Kcbatana. in Media : and. on the approach of his opponent, fled from there to the northern provinces, where he was seized by Bessus. Satrap of Bactria. Alexander, in a fit of generosity, hurried to deliver Darius. Bessus then prepared for flight: but Darius, re- fusing to follow, was stabbed by the barbarian . and left. The scouts of Alexander's cavalry, found Darius dying, and administered to his last necessities. Thanking the Grecian King for his magnanimity, and commending his family to his care, he expired (330). Alexander sent the dead body to Sisygambis. mother of Darius, to be interred in the tomb of the Persian kings. With him the Achicmenian line and the Persian Empire, that had so long dominated Asia, came to a close. Consult .Justi, (Iriindriss der irani- schen Philologie (Strassburg, 1897). DABIUS THE MEDE. The son of Ahasuerus, ami coni|Ueror nl liabylon, according to the biblical narrative of the Prophet Daniel (Dan. V. 31: vi. 28; ix. 1: xi. 1). His age is given as sixty-two years at the time of the taking of the city. There is great ditticulty in identifying this ruler, whom Daniel speaks of as "Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the .Medcs, which was made King over the realm of the Chaldeans" ( Dan. ix. 1 ) . Some scholars have suggested an identity with Cyaxarcs IL (q.v.), or more likely with Gobryas, Governor of Gutium, who actually took the city of Babylon as chief in command for Cyrus. (See Cyris the GRE.vr. ) But nuieh uncertainty on the whole subject prevails. Some suggestions may be gained from Horner, Daniel, Darius the Median. Cyrus the Great (Pittsburg, 1901). DARJILING, dar-jel'ing, or DOR-JIL- ING (Tib. Dar-rijyas-filin, land of the diamond thunderbolt — i.e. of the Lama's sceptre). A popular sanitary station of Bengal, British India, capital of a district of the same name, in the Sikkira Himalayas (Map: India, E 3). It is situated 7200 feet above the sea, on the side of a great hollow or basin, in which flows the Runjit, a branch of the Tista. It com- mands a magnificent view of the Himalayas to the north and west, and is on the Darjiling and Himalayan Railway, a road remarkable for its elevation. Notwithstanding frequent heavy rains and a great annual rainfall, the climate is very salubrious. Mean annual temperature, .54° F. Darjiling has good bazaars, a fine sani- tarium, beautiful botanical gardens, two Angli- can churches, an excellent water-supply, and is, especially during October, the fashionable Indian health resort. Tea-growing is the principal in- dustry of the district. Fifty thousand acres are devoted to its cultivation, and as much as 8,000,- 000 pounds has been produced annually. Dar- jiling is about 36 miles from the Plain of Ben- gal and 308 miles north of Calcutta. It was obtained by the British Government from the Rajah of Sikkim in 1835. in order to be made a sanitary station. Population, including the ad- jacent cantonment, 14,100. DARK AGES. A name formerly applied either to the whole or the earlier part of the Middle Ages (q.v.). DARK AND BLOODY GROUND, The. A name given to the State of Kentucky as the scene of frequent Indian warfare in the days of the early settlers. The phrase has also been said to be a translation of the Indian word Kentucky. DARK CONTINENT, The. Africa, the least known of tlic earth's great divisions. The term is also explained as referring to the color of the inhabitants. DARK DAY. Any day in which the sun- liglit appears to be remarkably dim or altogether absent. In Xew England the term is specifically applied to May 19, 1780, also known as Black Friday; but many similar dark days are also on record in other parts of the world. Other notable dark davs in the T'nited States wera those of October 21, 1716. and October 10, 1762. Stygian darkness often prevails during erup-