Deioces
Deioces (), from the Old Iranian "Dahyu-ka-", meaning "the lands" (above, on and beneath the earth), was the founder and the first shah as well as priest of the Median Empire. His name has been mentioned in different forms in various sources; including Herodotus, who has written his name as Δηιόκης ("Dēiokēs").

The exact date of the era of Deioces' rule is not clear and probably covered most of the first half of the seventh century BC. According to Herodotus, Deioces governed for 53 years.

Based on Herodotus's writings, Deioces was the first Median king to have gained independence from the Assyrians. He contemplated the project and plan of forming a single Median government; and in an anarchistic era of the Medes, he tried to enforce justice in his own village and earn a credibility and fame as a neutral judge. Thus, the territory of his activity was expanded and the peoples of other villages also resorted to him until he eventually announced that this place has been troublesome for him and he is not willing to continue working. Following this resignation, theft and chaos increased and the Medians gathered and chose him as the king this time.

Deioces' first action after coronation was to appoint guards for himself and also constructing a capital. The city Deioces chose for it was called "Hagmatāna" in Old Persian and Ecbatana in Greek language, believed to be Hamadan today. Ecbatana means "the gathering place" or "a city for everyone" and indicates the gathering of the Median clans, which were disunited previously. In the late eighth century BC, he had a fortified castle constructed on a hill in the city to run all military, government and treasury affairs within.

In 715 BC, Sargon II, the Assyrian king, learned that Deioces had allied with Rusa I, the Urartian king. He started watching Deioces and during his war with the Mannaeans, he entered the Medes again so as to end its "anarchy", as he claimed. He finally captured Deioces and exiled him along with his family to Hama (in Syria today).

Some Iranologists consider Deioces the same as Hushang in Shahnameh due to the features Herodotus states for the former and believe the title "Paradat" or "Pishdadian" equal to "the first legislator". The religious tradition considers Hushang the first person to found kingship in Iran. After Deioces, his son, Phraortes, succeeded him and ruled for 22 years.
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