an ancient city of Persia, the capital of Media, about 1 1/2 miles from Mount Orontes. The city was situated on a hill and was enclosed by seven walls, and it is said to have been almost thirty miles in circumference. Among prominent buildings were the citadel and the royal palace. The city was a favorite summer residence of the Median, Persian and Parthian kings. History tells us that after the Battle of Arbela in 331 B. C. Alexander followed Darius to Ecbatana and obtained an enormous amount of booty. The city was also plundered by the Seleucidae. After it came into the hands of the Parthians its fall was rapid, and its site to-day cannot be exactly determined, though the present Hamadan is generally considered to occupy the place of the ancient Ecbatana.