Biography of king mausollos of caria

Mausole is a satrap of Caria who ruled between and He is the most famous member of the Hecatomnid dynasty. A satrap is a governor of the Achaemenid Empire.

Mausole was the son of Hecatomnus, a Carian aristocrat who had obtained in or the satrapy of Caria of the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes II Mnemon.

Although Hecatomnus probably had thought of rebellion, he always remained faithful to his king, and there was no reason why Artaxerxes should not allow the son of Hecatomnus to succeed his father. We know almost nothing of the youth of Mausole, although he experienced a xenia with the Spartan king Agesilaus, which meant that they were bound to a mutual hospitality.

Probably Agesilaus had visited the young noble Carien when he was waging war in Asia Minor (), but it is also possible that Mausole visited Sparta by himself.

When Mausole became the only leader of Caria in , the Achaemenid Empire was invo