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Roisak () – Persian, who arrived on a political mission to Athens, presumably in the seventies-fifties of the fifth century BC.

Biography
The story of Roisak, who rebelled against the Persian king and, arriving in Athens with a large sum of money, appealed to Cimon for support, is contained in Plutarch. The historian M. Miller finds it difficult to assess the historicity of this plot. According to the Russian scientist E.V. Rung, there is “the first known example of Persian emigration for political reasons to Greece.” The researcher admits the possibility of kinship with other carriers of this name, who lived later. We are talking about one of the military leaders of Artaxerxes III during a campaign in Egypt in 343 BC. e. And also about the brother of the satrap Ionia and Lydia Spifridates, who fought the Macedonians at the Battle of Granik in May 334 BC.

Rung notes that from Plutarch's history it is not possible to determine exactly what position Roisak held before arriving in Greece. But we can assume that we are talking about the position of satrap in Asia Minor, with which the Persians involved in relations with the Greeks were associated. In Dasquileon during the entire V century BC. e. ruled well-attested in ancient historiography, Farnakida, to which Roisak could not relate. The political history of Lydia from 480 BC (the reign of Artaphernes II) to 440 BC (when he began to rule) is practically unknown from sources.

Roisak could have visited Athens between 479 BC (the beginning of Cimon's active political career) and 461 BC (when the leader of an aristocratic party was expelled from his hometown through ostracism). It is possible that Reussak’s speech can be connected with the events that occurred in 465 BC after the assassination of Xerxes I and the accession to the throne of Artaxerxes I. Nor can it be ruled out that this could have occurred in the period from the early return of Cimon to Athens in 457 B.C. to the beginning of a new anti-Persian campaign in Egypt and Cyprus in 450 B.C.

Cimon was known as a consistent supporter of continued warfare with Persia. With his help, Roysak may have planned to return to Asia with Greek military support, but he did not seem to find such support in Athens.

Literature
Primary sources
Plutarch. Cimon (10)

Research
Rung E. V. Persians in Athens: the search for political asylum // Academic. Sir. Humanities. Science. 2012. T.54. Kn.3. C.106-108.
Orlov V. P. Persian aristocracy in the Achaemenid Empire. - Thesis for the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences. Kazan, 2019. P. 265-266.

Conspirators and Rebels of the Achaemenid Power
Persons of the fifth century B.C.