Hydarnes the Elder vs Jehu of Israel

Hydarnes was one of the seven Persian nobles who conspired to overthrow Gaumata, the Magian usurper who had seized the throne after Cambyses II's death. He participated in the assassination of Gaumata, paving the way for Darius I to become king.

Darius I appointed Hydarnes as governor of the central satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire, a region encompassing Media and surrounding territories. He administered this key area, ensuring loyalty and collecting tribute for the crown.

Hydarnes commanded the elite Persian infantry unit known as the Immortals during the Second Persian invasion of Greece. He led them at the Battle of Thermopylae, where they outflanked the Greek position via the Anopaia path, leading to the Greek defeat.

The prophet Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu as king of Israel at Ramoth-gilead. Jehu's fellow officers immediately proclaimed him king, and he led a swift coup against the house of Ahab, beginning a new dynasty.

Jehu shot King Joram of Israel with an arrow at Naboth's vineyard in Jezreel. He then ordered Joram's body to be thrown onto the field of Naboth, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy that Ahab's blood would be avenged there.

Jehu exterminated all descendants of Ahab in Jezreel, including seventy sons of Ahab whose heads were brought in baskets. He also killed Ahab's relatives, priests, and officials, completely eradicating the Omride dynasty.

Jehu gathered all Baal worshipers in Israel under the pretense of a great sacrifice, then had them killed. He destroyed the temple of Baal, broke its sacred pillars, and turned the site into a latrine, ending state-sponsored Baal worship.

Jehu paid tribute to the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, as depicted on the Black Obelisk. This submission to Assyria secured Israel's borders but made it a vassal state, marking the beginning of Assyrian domination over the region.