Artaxerxes III

Artaxerxes III, also known as Ochus, was the King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 359/58 to 338 BC. He was the son of Artaxerxes II. Before he became king, he was a satrap and led his father's army.

Artaxerxes worked to bring Egypt back under Persian control. His first try failed, but his second try succeeded. He defeated Pharaoh Nectanebo II, and Egypt became part of the empire again after sixty years.

Later, Philip II of Macedon became stronger and tried to cause trouble in Greece. Artaxerxes helped the city of Perinthus resist this.

In his later years, Artaxerxes built new structures at Persepolis, including a new palace and his tomb. Sadly, he was killed, and after that the empire was taken over by the armies of Alexander the Great.

Etymology

The name Artaxerxes comes from a Greek word. It is based on an Old Persian word that means "whose reign is through truth."

His personal name was Ochus. This name looked different in ancient languages.

Background

Ochus was the son of Artaxerxes II and his wife Stateira. He had two older brothers, Ariaspes and Darius, along with many other brothers from different mothers. Darius was supposed to be the next ruler, but he was removed for planning something against his father. Later, Ochus tricked his brother Ariaspes into hurting himself. Finally, Ochus was chosen to be the next ruler before his father passed away.

Revolt of Artabazus

When Artaxerxes III became king between November 359 and March 358 BC, he asked leaders in western Anatolia to stop using hired soldiers. He wanted to make sure no one had too much power. Before this, some leaders had used these soldiers to act almost like independent rulers.

Later, in 356 BC, Artaxerxes III tried to remove Artabazus II from his role in leading Hellespontine Phrygia. This led Artabazus to rebel. Artaxerxes III sent other leaders to stop the rebellion. Artabazus worked with an Athenian commander and they won several battles. Finally, Artabazus stopped fighting and fled to Macedonia, where he was welcomed by its king, Philip II.

First Egyptian Campaign (351 BC)

Around 351 BC, Artaxerxes tried to take back Egypt. Egypt had fought against his rule. There was also trouble in Asia Minor, helped by Thebes. Artaxerxes gathered a large army and went to Egypt. He fought Nectanebo II. After a year of battle, the Egyptian Pharaoh, Nectanebo, won with help from Greek soldiers. Artaxerxes had to pull back and wait to try again.

Rebellion of Cyprus and Sidon

After Egypt was defeated, places like Phoenicia, Anatolia, and Cyprus wanted to stop following Persian rules. In 343 BC, Artaxerxes asked Idrieus, a prince from Caria, to help bring Cyprus back under control. Idrieus used 8,000 Greek soldiers and forty fast ships called triremes, led by a man named Phocion from Athens and Evagoras, the ruler of Cyprus. With this help, Idrieus brought Cyprus back under Persian control.

Artaxerxes then wanted to deal with Sidon. He sent two leaders, Belesys and Mazaeus, to attack the city. But they were defeated by the king of Sidon, Tennes, who had help from 4,000 Greek soldiers sent by Nectanebo II and led by Mentor of Rhodes. The Persian forces had to leave Phoenicia.

After this, Artaxerxes decided to lead the fight against Sidon himself. He gathered a large army, including foot soldiers, cavalry, ships, and support ships. He asked for help from some Greek cities, and though Athens and Sparta said no, he got some soldiers from Thebes, Argos, and other places in Greece and Anatolia.

When Artaxerxes came close to Sidon, the king Tennes became worried. Sidon was burned down, and many people sadly lost their lives. Later, Artaxerxes sold the remains of the city and had Tennes killed. He also sent some Jews who had supported the revolt to a place called Hyrcania near the Caspian Sea.

Conquest of Egypt

See also: Thirty-first Dynasty of Egypt

In 340 or 339 BC, Artaxerxes III took Egypt back for the Persian Empire. He brought together a big army with soldiers from Thebes, Argos, and Asia Minor, and they marched to Egypt. The trip was hard, but Artaxerxes split his army into groups with both Greek and Persian leaders.

After a few early problems, Artaxerxes's army captured several Egyptian towns. The ruler of Egypt, Nectanebo II, moved back to Memphis. Finally, the Egyptian army gave up, and Artaxerxes could rule Egypt. He took valuable items from temples and added heavy taxes to keep Egypt under Persian control. He put a governor named Pherendares in charge of Egypt and went back to Persia with the riches he had collected.

Later years

After defeating Egypt, Artaxerxes returned to Persia and worked to stop uprisings in his empire. Soon after winning Egypt, the whole Persian Empire was under his control again. Egypt stayed part of the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great took it over.

After the victory in Egypt, there were no more revolts against Artaxerxes. Two important generals, Mentor of Rhodes and Bagoas, were given important positions. Mentor helped control rebel leaders along the Asian coast. Bagoas helped keep peace in the empire from the capital. During the last years of Artaxerxes III’s rule, the empire was governed well and stayed peaceful.

Persian forces regained control of areas like Ionia, Lycia, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean Sea, taking over parts of what was once Athens’s territory. The growing strength of Philip II of Macedon worried Artaxerxes, so he tried to limit Macedon’s influence. In 340 BC, Persian forces helped the city of Perinthus resist Philip’s siege. By the end of Artaxerxes’s rule, Philip was already planning to invade the Persian Empire, though the Greek city-states did not support him.

Legacy

See also: Zoroastrianism, Mithra, and Anahita

Kings of the Achaemenid Empire followed ideas from Zoroaster. During the rule of Artaxerxes II, people focused on worshipping Anahita and Mithra. Artaxerxes III focused more on worshipping Ahuramazda and Mithra. Some writings say he saw Ahuramazda and Mithra as one.

Artaxerxes III put his name on special coins made like coins from Athens. These coins had writing in Egyptian that said "Artaxerxes Pharaoh. Life, Prosperity, Wealth".

In literature

It is thought that a story in the Book of Judith might be inspired by Artaxerxes III's actions in Phoenicia.

Construction

See also: Persepolis

There were new building projects at Persepolis, but some were not finished when Artaxerxes III’s rule ended. Two of his buildings were a large hall with thirty-two columns and a palace for himself. Work also began on roads and gates to connect important buildings. After returning from Egypt in 341 BC, Artaxerxes III started building a big hall in Babylon.

The palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon grew larger during Artaxerxes III’s time. His tomb was carved into the mountain behind Persepolis, close to the tomb of his father.

Family

Further information: Achaemenid family tree

Artaxerxes III was the son of Artaxerxes II and Statira. His father had many sons, but most were not seen as true family members. Some of Artaxerxes III’s important brothers and sisters were Rodogune, Apama, Sisygambis, Ocha, Darius, and Ariaspes. Many of them were removed from the kingdom after he became king.

Artaxerxes III had children with different wives. With Atossa, he had Artaxerxes IV Arses. With another unknown wife, he had Bisthanes and Parysatis II, who later married Alexander the Great. He also married a daughter of his sister Ocha and a daughter of Oxyathres, who was the brother of Darius III.