What is "ecbatana"

Ecbatana (; Haŋgmatāna, literally "the place of gathering", , in Aeschylus and Herodotus, elsewhere , Agámtanu by Nabonidos, and Agamatanu at Behistun) was an ancient city in Media in western Iran. It is believed that Ecbatana is in Tell Hagmatana (Tappe-ye Hagmatāna), near Hamedan. but the history of the city is controversial.

Excavations at Kaboutar Ahang have revealed stone age tools and pottery from 1400 to 1200 BC. According to Herodotus, Ecbatana was chosen as the Medes' capital in the late 8th century BC by Deioces. Under the Persian kings, Ecbatana, situated at the foot of Mount Alvand, became a summer residence. Later, it became the capital of the Parthian kings, at which time it became their main mint, producing drachm, tetradrachm, and assorted bronze denominations. It is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible ( Ezra 6.2) under the name Achmetha (also spelled Ahmetha, e.g. JTS Bible).

In 330 BC, Ecbatana was the site of the murder of the Macedonian general Parmenion by order of Alexander the Great.