According to Herodotus, Cambyses was "a man of good family and quiet habits". He reigned under the overlordship of Astyages, King ofMedia. He was reportedly married to PrincessMandane of Media, a daughter to Astyages and Princess Aryenis of Lydia. His wife was reportedly a granddaughter to both Cyaxares of Media and Alyattes of Lydia. The result of their marriage was the birth of his successor Cyrus the Great. According to Nicolas of Damascus his original name was Atradates, and he was wounded and later died in the Battle of the Persian Border which he, with his son, fought against Astyages. It occurred in about 551 BC, and he is reported to have received an honorable burial. Also according to Herodotus, Astyages chose Cambyses as a son-in-law because he considered him to pose no threat to the Median throne, having dreamt his daughter would give birth to one who would rule Asia. This was not quite the case with Cyrus the Great who would go on to depose his grandfather, and to begin the Persian Empire.
Etymology
Though numerous scholars link Cambyses to the Sanskrittribal nameKamboja there are also few scholars who suggest the Elamite origin of the name. Jean Przyluski had sought to find an Austric affinity for Kamboja. Friedrich von Spiegel, Sten Konow, Ernst Herzfeld, James Hope Moulton, Wojciech Skalmowski and some other scholars think that Cambyses is adjectival form of the Sanskrit tribal name Kamboja. Spiegel also regards Kamboja/Kambujiya and Kuru/Kyros as the names of two pre-historic/legendary heroes of the Indo-Iranians which were later revived naturally in the royal family of the Achaemenes and further opines that the myths about Cyrus were largely due to the confusion between the historical and the legendary heroes of the prehistoric period James Hope Moulton regards Spiegel's suggestions as the best of other etymological explanations of these two names. As against this, Arnold J. Toynbee discusses the issue of two Persian names Kambujiya as well as Kurush at length and regards them both as derived from the two Eurasian nomads, the Kambojas and the Kurus mentioned in the Sanskrit texts and who, according to him, had entered India and Iran in the Volkerwanderung of 8th and 7th century BC. Toynbee concludes that the conquest of the world by elder branch of the House of Achaemenes had been achieved by the valor of the Kuru and Kamboja Nomad reinforcements, hence as a commemoration, the elder branch of the House had named all their great princes from Cyrus I onwards, alternately, as Cyrus and Cambyses.
