Artaxerxes II of Persia

Artaxerxes II Mnemon (Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠^[1] Artaxšaçā, Ancient Greek: Ἀρταξέρξης) was king of Persia from 404 BC until his death. He was a son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis.

Reign

He defended his position against his brother Cyrus the Younger, who was defeated and killed by Mithridates at the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BC. Artaxerxes tried to claim the glory of having killed his brother himself, but when Mithridates boasted of killing Cyrus at court while flushed with wine, Artaxerxes had him executed for making him out to be a liar.

He became involved in a war with Persia's erstwhile allies, the Spartans, who, under Agesilaus II, invaded Asia Minor. In order to redirect the Spartans attention to Greek affairs, Artaxerxes subsidized their enemies: in particular the Athenians, Thebans and Corinthians. These subsidies helped to engage the Spartans in what would become known as the Corinthian War. In 386 BC, Artaxerxes II betrayed his allies and came to an arrangement with Sparta, and in the Treaty of Antalcidas he forced his erstwhile allies to come to terms. This treaty restored control of the Greek cities of Ionia and Aeolis on the Anatolian coast to the Persians, while giving Sparta dominance on the Greek mainland. In 385 BC he campaigned against the Cadusians.

Although successful against the Greeks, Artaxerxes had more trouble with the Egyptians, who had successfully revolted against him at the beginning of his reign. An attempt to reconquer Egypt in 373 BC was completely unsuccessful, but in his waning years the Persians did manage to defeat a joint Egyptian–Spartan effort to conquer Phoenicia. He quashed the Revolt of the Satraps in 372-362 BC.

He is reported to have had a number of wives. His main wife was Stateira, until she was poisoned by Artaxerxes' mother Parysatis in about 400 BC. He also married several of his own daughters. Another chief wife was a Greek woman of Phocaea named Aspasia (not the same as the concubine of Pericles). Artaxerxes II is said to have more than 115 sons from 350 wives.^[2]

Building projects

Much of Artaxerxes's wealth was spent on building projects. He restored the palace of Darius I at Susa,^[3] and also the fortifications; including a strong redoubt at the southeast corner of the enclosure and gave Ecbatana a new apadana and sculptures. He seems not to have built much at Persepolis.

Offspring

By Stateira

Artaxerxes III

Darius

Ariaspes or Ariarathes

Atossa, wife of Artaxerxes II & then Artaxerxes III

By other wives

Arsames

Mithridates

Phriapatius(?), probable ancestor of Arsacids

Amestris, wife of Artaxerxes II

Rhodogune, wife of satrap Orontes I

Apama, wife of Pharnabazus

Ocha, mother of an unnamed wife of Artaxerxes III

The unnamed wife of Tissaphernes

112 other unnamed sons

Identification

It has been suggested that this man was the Ahasuerus mentioned in the Book of Esther. Plutarch in his Lives (75 CE) records alternative names Oarses and Arsicas for Artaxerxes II Mnemon given by Deinon (c.360-340 BCE^[4]) and Ctesias (Artexerxes II's physician^[5]) respectively.^[6] These derive from the Persian name Khshayarsha as do "Ahasuerus" ("Xerxes") and the hypocoristicon "Arshu" for Artaxerxes II found on a contemporary inscription (LBAT 162^[7]). These sources thus arguably identify Ahasuerus as Artaxerxes II in light of the names used in the Hebrew and Greek sources and accords with the contextual information from Pseudo-Hecataeus and Berossus^[8] as well as agreeing with Al-Tabari and Masudi's placement of events. The 13th century Syriac historian Bar-Hebraeus in his Chronography, also identifies Ahasuerus as Artaxerxes II citing the sixth century CE historian John of Ephesus.^[9][10]

Zakarid-Mkhargrzeli, a noble family prominent in medieval Armenia and Georgia,claimed to be descended from Artaxerxes II - on the basis of his being nicknamed the "Longarmed", which was also the meaning of their own name. While authenticity of this pedigree is doubtful, it testifies to this king's long renown.

See also

• Artaxerxes I
• History of Persia
• The Anabasis
• Ten Thousand (Greek)

References

1. ^ Moradi Ghiasabadi, Reza (2004) (in Persian Persian Studies). Achaemenid Inscriptions (کتیبه‌های هخامنشی)‎ (2nd edition ed.). Tehran: Shiraz Navid Publications. pp. 138. ISBN 964-358-015-6. 
2. ^ History of Iran
3. ^ A2Sa
4. ^ Wolfgang Felix, Encyclopaedia Iranica, entry Dinon, 1996-2008
5. ^ Jona Lendering, Ctesias of Cnidus, Livius, Articles on Ancient History, 1996-2008
6. ^ John Dryden, Arthur Hugh Clough, Plutarch's Lives, Little, Brown and Company, 1885
7. ^ M. A. Dandamaev, W. J. Vogelsang, A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire, BRILL, 1989
8. ^ Jacob Hoschander, The Book of Esther in the Light of History, Oxford University Press, 1923
9. ^ E. A. W. Budge, The Chronography of Bar Hebraeus, Gorgias Press LLC, reprinted 2003
10. ^ Jan Jacob van Ginkel, John of Ephesus. A Monophysite Historian in Sixth-century Byzantium, Groningen, 1995

External links

• Artaxerxes by Plutarch
• H. Hunger & R.J. van der Spek, "An astronomical diary concerning Artaxerxes II (year 42 = 363-2 BC). Military operations in Babylonia" in: Arta 2006.002
• Inscriptions of Artaxerxes II in transcribed Persian and in English translation. [1]