Abstract
Abstract Any discussion of the marriage alliances of the Achaemenid royal house must examine the questions whether Achaemenid kings practised polygamy and to what extent they permitted next-of-kin marriages. Polygamy and certain kinds of incestuous marriages were unacceptable in Greek society. The Greeks noticed that the Persian royal family appeared to engage in both and described these practices to emphasize the monstrosity of the Persian king, his decadence, and his domination by women. What seems to have been less well understood by Greek writers were the political motivations that underlay these practices. Both polygamy and en dogamic marriages are excellent tools to help concentrate and preserve power; they restrict the families from which a royal wife can be selected, and help to secure male offspring (XPf 28-32; Young 1988b: 71-2; Burn 1984: 277-8).
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