Irdabama

Irdabama (fl. early 5th-century BC) was an Ancient Persian businesswoman who lived during the time of Darius the Great. She is one of the most famous and wealthiest businesswomen known from the records of the Achaemenid Empire at Persepolis. Some believe she might have been the mother of Darius.

It is not fully clear who Irdabama was, but she was very rich and may have come from an important family. Some think she might actually have been two different people. She may have been from a family of leaders from Elamite areas near Susa.

Irdabama owned her own workers, including 480 laborers, mostly in what is now Shiraz. She owned land and estates not only in Iran but also in places like Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, and Media. Her main business was selling wine and grain, and she managed many farms and production centers. Several seals have been found that show how she shared goods and food with her workers and took care of her large lands. She traveled widely around Iran and Mesopotamia with her own group of servants.