Artaxerxes II
Arses (Greek: Ἄρσης; c. 445 – 359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II (Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 Artaxšaçāʰ; Greek: Ἀρταξέρξης), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 358 BC. He was the son and successor of Darius II (r. 423 – 405/4 BC) and his mother was Parysatis.
| Artaxerxes II 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 | |
|---|---|
The Rock relief of Artaxerxes II in Persepolis | |
| King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire | |
| Reign | 405/4–359/8 BC |
| Predecessor | Darius II |
| Successor | Artaxerxes III |
| Born | Arses c. 436 BC (or 453 BC) |
| Died | November 359 – April 358 BC |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Stateira |
| Issue among others | |
| Dynasty | Achaemenid |
| Father | Darius II |
| Mother | Parysatis |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Soon after his accession, Artaxerxes II faced opposition from his younger brother Cyrus the Younger, who assembled an army composed of troops from his Lydian and Ionian satrapies as well as Greek mercenaries in his bid for the throne. The forces of the brothers clashed at Cunaxa in 401 BC, which resulted in the defeat and death of Cyrus. Following this, Artaxerxes II had to contend with several other revolts; a revolt by Evagoras I (r. 411–374 BC) in Cyprus between 391–380 BC, by the Phoenicians in c. 380 BC, and most importantly, the revolts by the western satraps (known as the Great Satraps' Revolt) in the 360s and 350s BC, led by distinguished figures such as Datames, Ariobarzanes, and Autophradates.
The rulers of the Parthian Empire notably considered Artaxerxes II their progenitor.