EGBÁTANE ('Εὐβάττενα'). - Two cities of Media, one of which was the capital of northern Media (Media Atropatene), while the other, farther south, was the capital of Greater Media. The former has been identified with the ruins of Taht-i Sulajmân; the latter is thought to be located at the present-day city of Hamaçân.
Herodotus says of the former that it was the city “of the seven enclosing walls,” and gives a lengthy description of II. This partly resembles that given in the deuterocanonical book of Iud. 1, 1-4.
In the time of Sargon II of Assyria, the Mede Deioces had gathered together many scattered tribes of Elamites, Samaritans, and Anšanites, had himself proclaimed king, and had chosen E. as his capital. Phraortes, ca. 647-25, succeeded him; he also brought other regions under his sway and allegiance, and triumphed over Teispa, king of the Persians, who had taken advantage of the destruction of Susa (640) to seize the rest of Elam and proclaim himself king of Ansan. Phraortes (the Arphavad of Iud. 1, 1) occupied his capital E. for only a few years, since he died in a war against Assyria.
The northern E. is also mentioned in Tob. 3, 7; 7; 8. The text of the Vulgate, which gives the name Rages instead of E., stands alone against all the other versions and must therefore be corrected; this is also required by the context of chapters 7 to 8, where Raphael speaks of a city (not named) from which to go to Rages, where Gabelo lived.
The southern E. was the capital of the Parthian Empire. Earlier, under Darius I, it was the summer residence of the kings of Persia. The Bible probably refers to it in Esd. 6, 2, where the copy of the edict of Cyrus was found that allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple and their capital. Giustino Boson