And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
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Bede
AD 735
Then, it says, King Darius issued an order, and they searched in the archive of the books which were stored in Babylon, and there was found in Ecbatana, which is a fortress in the province of Madena, a scroll, and this record was written in it: In the first year of Cyrus the king, King Cyrus decreed that the house of God which is in Jerusalem should be built in a place where they may sacrifice animals as offerings. Josephus stated the name of the place in which this letter of Cyrus was found as follows: And a book was found at Ecbatana in a fortress built in the region of Media? Moreover, another translation has the following: In Ecbatana in a very secure building in the region of the Medes. Hence it seems likely that the name 'Madena' means nothing other than 'Media'.
